


Kadan

by MacBeka



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: 69 (Sex Position), Adaar needs to be loved, Alternate background, Birth Control, Body Diversity, Bull's post-match analysis of meeting Dorian, Cunnilingus, Discussions of PTSD, F/M, Femdom, First Orgasm, Flirting, Gratuitous use of Qunlat, Hair Pulling, Hissrad, Homesickness, In Hushed Whispers, Keeping secrets from Cullen ooooh, Kissing, Knotting, Multiple Orgasms, Nipple Play, Non-Human Genitalia, Oral Sex, Orlais, Platonic undressing, Prayer, Qun, Qunari, Saarebas, Scenting, Seheron, Self Confidence Issues, Semi Public Sex, She gets a momma in the Valo-Kas, Sparring, Tama play, Teasing, Unbeta'd, Vaginal Sex, Valo-Kas - Freeform, Varric is still an asshole, Very mild d/s, Work In Progress, a bit less mild D/s, and then later meets Bull, blowjob, definitely non-platonic undressing, discussion of D/s, dragon play, facesitting, fics without porn are really hard to tag wtf, i guess, im hesitant to tag femdom but, is that a thing?, literal bodice ripper hehehehe, non-negotiated but welcome kink, poor Solas, qun names, secret war meetings, significant misunderstanding on Cullen's behalf, so much qunlat i'm not even kidding, spoiler alert it's still great, stretch marks, varric is an asshole and its great
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-09-12 16:43:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9080956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MacBeka/pseuds/MacBeka
Summary: Katari Adaar was a saarebas. She was saved from her fate by the Valo-Kas and was later part of the group sent to the Conclave. Now the Herald of a religion she doesn't believe in, she starts doing her job and gathering allies. Then she meets the Iron Bull. Things go exactly as expected.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> So I've been wanting to do this for a while. Figured, lets just wing it. End game Bull/F!Adaar, rating will increase as we go :)
> 
> Images of my Katari Adaar can be found [here](http://imgur.com/a/8Pptz)

Katari Adaar didn’t come up with the name she used. She never chose her fate or where she ended up. She never chose to join the Valo-Kas, although she didn’t leave them. Even now, years later, she didn’t understand why they had taken her instead of slaughtering her like they had her kith, her arvaarad.

She remembered the day she woke in an unfamiliar camp without her chains and collars. She could feel the magic surging beneath her skin and she scrambled for something, anything, to stop it. The tent that she, Saarebas, had been left alone in was bare except for the sleeping bag and blankets. Her lips twinged with pain, different to the discomfort she had become so used to, and her hand came up to touch them. Her stitches were gone. They had taken out their best way of protecting themselves.

Saarebas screamed in terror, for herself, for her captors. Her voice was hoarse and rough, unused in so many years and her scream brought people running to the small tent. They all but ripped aside the tent flap and looked for an attacker.

The saarebas’ screams turned to sobs as she buried her face in the blankets she had been wrapped in. After a few moments she felt a hand on her arm and flinched away.

“No, I am saarebas, I will hurt you,” Saarebas sobbed in qunlat, pulling the blankets closer.

“Hush, imekari,” a gentle voice replied in the same tongue, before a hand touched her again. She didn’t pull away this time and allowed the person to unfold her from the blankets and manipulate her into a sitting position so she could see the person, a woman, qunari like her. “Saarebas, do you know why you are alive?”

“No, but you must kill me, please! I have no arvaarad, I’m too dangerous,” Saarebas cried, clutching the woman’s arms.

“Imekari,” the woman said firmly, bringing a hand up to touch her cheek. Saarebas stopped, only sniffling softly. “Taashath, imekari, you are dangerous but you can be controlled.”

“By Arvaarad,” Saarebas said.

“No, by yourself,” the woman said with a kindness that Saarebas had not felt since before her magic showed. “My name is Sataa. I am Tal-Vashoth, like all those here too."

“You are all Tal-Vashoth?” Saarebas asked, unable to hide the confusion from her voice. Tal-Vashoth were mindless beasts, but here was one caring for her like a Tamassran would.

“Some of us are Vashoth, born out of the Qun,” Sataa explained. “Your kith attacked us but we killed them. The other saarebas were killed before we could save them, you are the only one remaining. We removed your collar and mask, and unstitched your lips. You’re safe here.”

“But you’re not,” Saarebas whispered, sagging against the woman who wrapped her arms around her and stroked her back slowly.

“Do you feel well enough to leave the tent?” Sataa asked. “I will watch you to make sure you don’t put anyone in danger.”

Saarebas nodded hesitantly, sitting back. She looked down at the clothes she was wearing. They were soft brown leather and too big for her, but she was clothed; a thing like her didn’t require proper clothing.

Sataa smiled at her softly and took hold of her hand, crawling to the tent flap and helping Saarebas out of the tent.

The camp was large, larger than Saarebas had been expecting and filled with qunari. There were horns of all shapes and sizes, though none that she could see curled down and forwards like hers did. There were different shades of grey and occasionally deep bronze among the Tal-Vashoth and she drew more than a few stares, making her hide behind Sataa slightly, though the woman hadn’t let go of her hand which she appreciated. Saarebas didn’t keep track of where they were going, and when they stopped, there were at one of many small firepits. Other than the first observation, Saarebas kept her eyes down.

“Saarebas, this is Marek, Sanem and Armat,” Sataa said. When Saarebas didn’t look up, she added, “You may look at them, imekari.”

Saarebas looked up at the three qunari she had been brought to. Two were male and the other a woman. She didn’t understand why she had been brought here and it must have showed on her face because Sataa spoke again.

“They are all mages, saarebas like you. Armat was born under the Qun like you were,” Sataa said, her voice so gentle that Saarebas couldn’t help but be reminded of her Tama. “Marek, can you control your magic?”

“Of course,” one of the men, Marek, replied as he lifted a hand and called a tiny spark to his fingers.

Saarebas shrunk behind Sataa at the open display of magic. These saarebas were allowed to use their magic at will? She didn’t understand, how had they not hurt anyone? Or maybe they had and that was why they sat apart from the others. Maybe they were a cautionary tale that Saarebas not misbehave or she would be exiled too.

“Sanem, can you control yours?” Sataa asked the woman sat in the middle.

“Yes,” the woman replied simply, eyes settling on Saarebas and smiling reassuringly.

“Armat, where is your arvaarad?” Sataa asked. The different question threw Saarebas, and Armat if the sudden blink was anything to go by.

“He is dead,” Armat answered.

“And how long has he been dead?”

“Seven years,” the ex-saarebas replied. Saarebas stared in shock. How had the man gone so long without control? Why hadn’t he been killed?

“And have you ever hurt anyone, by accident or on purpose?”

“Not unless they attacked me first,” Armat said. 

Sataa turned to her and took hold of her other hand too. “See, Saarebas? You don’t need an arvaarad to control your magic, you just need to learn how to do it yourself.”

* * *

Months past and Saarebas made slow progress. She often refused to leave Sataa’s side, sleeping in her tent, eating with her, working with her, travelling with her. Over time, she learned to control the magic that surged beneath her skin, speaking with Armat about his experience coming out of the Qun. The wounds around her lips healed to form scars that were obvious to anyone who saw her. She stayed out of fights and stayed behind on jobs that the group took.

She learned that they were a mercenary band - though Sataa had to explain to her was a mercenary was - called the Valo-Kas, who travelled across Thedas doing jobs for coin. Sometimes they were as simple as escorting a merchant caravan - another thing that Sataa had to explain - and sometimes they were more dangerous like defeating demons. The demons had given Saarebas nightmares but Sataa had held her close and stroked her hair slowly, singing softly to her until she was able to fall asleep again.

Tonight, Sataa was rubbing horn balm into Saarebas’ horns because they had started to flake with the dry weather of Antiva. The two of them were sat in their tent, Sataa kneeling behind her and rubbing along the length of her horns.

“Sataa? Can I ask you a question?” Saarebas asked softly.

“Of course, imekari, you can ask me anything,” Sataa asked, brushing the edge of Saarebas’ pointed ear.

“Do you think I should take a name?” Saarebas asked softly. “Everyone keeps asking what my name is now.”

“That’s up to you, Saarebas,” Sataa said, moving to sit beside her so she could stroke her cheek. “You have the freedom of choice now. If you want to be Saarebas, then that’s what we’ll call you. If you want to choose another name, then we will call you that instead.”

Sataa stroked over Saarebas’ white hair, the strands smooth and cared for now that she was permitted to wash regularly. Saarebas smiled up at her carer and the woman leaned down to kiss Saarebas’ forehead.

“Do you have a last name? Sanem was explaining clan names to me.”

“I do, my last name is Adaar,” Sataa said.

“If I take a name, I would like to use your surname. If I am permitted,” Saarebas added quickly.

Sataa was quiet for a few moments before she came and settled in front of Saarebas and took hold of her hands. “Of course, imekari. My child. Of course you can,” she said with a smile brighter than the sun. “Of course.”

* * *

“Did you used to be a Tamassran, Sataa?” Saarebas asked. “I think you would be a good Tamassran.”

“I did,” Sataa said from where she was braiding Saarebas’ hair. It had become long enough to reach her rear now, the white a contrast to the near-blackness of her horns. “For a long time. I took care of lots of little ones. Braided lots of hair, scratched lots of horns. Sentenced lots of saarebas.” The final words were sad, almost forlorn.

“Why did you leave?” Saarebas asked.

“I saw what the arvaarads were doing to the saarebas. I knew, in theory, but seeing it done? Watching as a child that I had raised had his mouth sewn shut because he wouldn’t stop screaming as they bound his magic? I refused. Shokrakar and I left with a few of the older Tal-Vashoth. Convinced the Salasari to send us to Rivain to assist in promoting peace. We were ‘ambushed’ along the way.”

“Shokrakar is the company leader, isn’t she?”

“Yes, that’s her. Always been true to her name, a rebel. She wants you to fight, you know? She says she can see the fire in your eyes when you cast, that you’d be an excellent fighter.”

“I want to. I want to be useful. But I’m scared I’ll hurt someone.”

“As long as it’s the right someone,” Sataa chuckled. “But remember that this isn’t the Qun. You don’t need to have a purpose.”

“‘To call a thing by its name is to know its reason in the world. To call a thing falsely is to put out one's own eyes’,” Saarebas quoted. “I have no reason. I am no longer a true saarebas, I cannot be called as such.”

Sataa sighed softly and tugged carefully on Saarebas’ braid so she could kiss her forehead. “If that’s how you feel, imekari. You have the freedom of choice now, kadan, you can be whatever you like.”

“Thank you, Tama,” Saarebas said, looking up at her.

Sataa smiled and kissed her hair again before she continued braiding.

* * *

“Saarebas!” Shokrakar called across the battlefield, drawing Saarebas’ attention. The warrior pointed at a massive force rushing towards them from behind. Most of the Valo-Kas forces were already engaged and distracted with the main bulk of their enemies. They would be overrun.

Saarebas turned to face the ambush and cast a quick barrier around herself before she dropped the staff she’d been given, drawing all her power into her hands, a fireball growing in front of her. She poured all of her anger and frustration and fear into her magic, allowing the magic to spark and flare like it had before she learned to control it. She flung her arms wide and the fireball went flying into the ranks of the ambush, setting them alight and stopping them in their tracks. She sent chain lightning through the remaining numbers, picking them off with immolates and bolts of lightning.

The last fell and Saarebas turned to see the Valo-Kas finishing up with the main battle. Many were staring at her and she hesitated, leaning down to pick up her staff and walking back to the rest of the company. She expected to be shunned after such a display of her power and kept her head down as she walked towards Shokrakar.

Instead of people moving around her, Saarebas found them coming up to her. She flinched away, scared that they would hurt her but instead they laughed and clapped her on the back. It was something she had seen them doing to each other and knew it wasn’t bad but it surprised her.

“Saarebas, that was amazing!” one of the rogues laughed.

“It really was. Saarebas, the bringer of death!” another grinned.

“Hey, that could be your name. Katari, death bringer!”

Saarebas looked around, meeting Shokrakar’s eyes. The woman merely smiled and approached. “Come on, Katari, let’s loot these bastards and get back to camp, I owe you a drink.”

Saarebas - Katari - smiled and nodded, sticking to Shokrakar’s side as they searched the battlefield for coin or anything of interest. When they returned to camp, Saarebas - _Katari_ \- slipped away from the festivities and celebrations. Shokrakar covered for her and smiled as she left, heading to the area of camp that she and Sataa inhabited. Some of the younger members of the company were already with Sataa, hands waving and eyes wide as they told her about the battle. Sataa smiled and laughed, though hurried them along when she saw Saarebas approaching. They left, leaving Saarebas and Sataa alone beside their campfire.

“And who might you be, my dear?” Sataa asked with a smile, eyes glittering.

“My name is Katari Adaar,” Katari said, no longer Saarebas, a slight smile on her face.

“Hello, Katari,” Sataa said, moving closer and cupping her cheeks with a smile. She leaned in to kiss her forehead. “Imekari, kadan, welcome home.”

“Tama...” Katari whispered, tears welling in her eyes. “Mama...”

Sataa pulled her into her arms and squeezed her close. “Come on, why don’t we get a drink and I can braid your hair again, hm? I’ll even tell you the rest of that story about the Arishok.”

Katari smiled and nodded, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand and taking hold of Sataa’s hand with her other.

She had her name. She had her reason in the world. She had a family. It was more than she had ever had before. So why did she feel like something bad was about to happen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imekari - child
> 
> Taashath - calm
> 
> Kith - squad
> 
> Salasari - Triumvirate
> 
> Shokrakar - rebel
> 
> Kadan - my heart (romantic, friendship, familial)


	2. Orlais

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Herald talks with Cullen and goes to Val Royeaux

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You get to see just how many screenshots of Katari's face I take #Woops

The mark ached. Katari stared down at it and clenched her fist around it, though the green light continued to glow through the cracks between her fingers. She sighed and rolled over in her cot. They had closed the large rift beneath the Breach but the Breach itself remained. Haven was safer and there were fewer guards needed around the Temple of Sacred Ashes, meaning they could be reassigned to where they were most needed.  
  
The Herald of Andraste. If only her arvaarad could see her now. Even years later, she missed the structure of the Qun, the surety that it provided. She had been a slave, a prisoner, she knew that, but the control of it had made her safe to others. She was trained in the use of her magic now, yes, but that didn’t stop the fear. The scars on her lips scared most people because the tales of Qunari saarebas were perhaps some of the most prominent stories of her people. No, not her people, not anymore.  
  
Katari rolled over again and sighed. She wasn’t used to sleeping alone anymore. With the Valo-Kas, she always shared at the very least a tent with Sataa, sometimes even the bedroll if nightmares caught her. But Sataa was still with the Valo-Kas, and Katari was here in Haven surrounded by people who thought her a prophet. The only one to even try and understand her was Varric. The dwarf came up to her chest but he asked her to share her stories and he in return told his.  
  
Varric was so used to everyone having read his Tale of the Champion that when he found someone who hadn’t, he took the opportunity to exaggerate even more. But he didn’t do that with Katari; he had the first time, most certainly, but when he realised that she was so… different, he instead chose to tell her the real stories. The ones about spending the evening playing Wicked Grace in the tavern and the time Hawke decided to flirt with the Viscount of Kirkwall. Instead of the exaggerated fictions that made their way into his books, she knew the real ones, what had really happened. How Hawke had nearly died after fighting Arishok, how Anders and Fenris had gotten along and even become friends, how they had both fallen in love with Hawke and he with them. Katari could spend every second of the day listening to those stories, about all the dates that had gone wrong and the times where they’d been caught in the act and when Anders and Fenris had been found together without Hawke anywhere in sight.  
  
She wanted that, she realised. She wanted something to hold her and kiss her and tell her it was all going to be alright. Sex was all well and good, and that was something she’d discovered with the Valo-Kas, but what she was thinking about was something else entirely. Katari sighed and stood from the cot, pulling on her boots and a thick woollen jacket. There was no use moping. She left the small house she’d been given and wandered the village. Haven was picturesque even with all the trebuchets and soldiers. She considered going to see if the tavern was open but she knew it wouldn’t be in these small hours of the morning. She walked instead, admiring the mountains and the snow.  
  
When Katari reached the wall, she paused when she saw Cullen on top of it, sans coat. She didn’t remember ever seeing the man without his furred cape before and he seemed so much smaller. He must have been frozen with only a tunic and his trousers. The guards avoided him but she climbed the steps to him.  
  
“Cullen,” Katari greeted, her voice still accented from qunlat, the way it would always be. The sounds of the common tongue were odd coming from her mouth but she could speak it at least, almost fluently. “Trouble sleeping?”  
  
“Herald,” Cullen said, jumping slightly and standing at attention. He stopped and sighed, relaxing slightly, shoulders sagging. “Adaar. No more than usual. And yourself?”  
  
“My mind just won’t stop,” Katari said with a brief smile. “What troubles you?”  
  
“You know of the Templars?” he asked, lifting a hand to drag it through his already messy hair. The way it had all curled was adorable.  
  
“Only what you and Varric have told me,” she said. “Cassandra forgets that your ways are foreign to me.”  
  
Cullen merely nodded. “Templars take lyrium to bolster their abilities. As I’m sure you’re aware, it’s terribly addictive.”  
  
“You stopped,” Adaar guessed, noting the way he tensed briefly and sighed.  
  
“Yes. When I left the Order, I stopped taking it. Sometimes the withdrawal is… overwhelming. I find it difficult to rest. Especially when Leliana and Josephine are up all night talking about shoes and what some duchess of somewhere considers fashionable,” Cullen said with a snort of amusement.  
  
Katari grinned. “I forgot you share a room with them next to the war room. Is there anything that can be done for the withdrawals?” she asked.  
  
“Unlikely. I’ve tried everything I can think of and everything everyone else can think of,” Cullen sighed. “I don’t think it will ever go away. Is there a Qunari cure for lyrium addiction?” He said the words with a slight smile, though his eyes had no hope in them.  
  
“I’ll look into it,” Katari promised. “I’ll write to the Valo-Kas. If anyone knows anything, I’ll let you know.”  
  
“No, you don’t need to do that, I was only joking,” Cullen said quickly.  
  
“Cullen,” she said, using her height and build to tower over him. “You will let me do this for you. How is a Commander supposed to run an army when he can’t get any sleep?” She smiled softly and reached out to touch his shoulder. “I write anyway, it isn’t any trouble.”  
  
“Thank you, Adaar,” Cullen said with a sigh, crossing his arms and shivering ever so slightly.  
  
“I think you should go to bed before you die of the cold. Say hello to Leliana and Josephine for me if they’re still awake.”  
  
Cullen nodded and wandered off, though it was clear he wanted to salute before he left. Katari smiled after him and looked out over the hills. A Templar might not be Arvaarad but she had one nearby anyway, just in case.

* * *

The Hinterlands were wonderful but there were only so many times you could wander around what looked like the same bit of greenery before it became frustrating. There were so many refugees and the Inquisition couldn’t help all of them. These people believed her to be the Herald of Andraste and she couldn’t do anything more than provide blankets and meat. She couldn’t save them, but she could stop them from dying for a little while longer.  
  
However, even the Hinterlands were preferable to Val Royeaux. Then again, sticking pins in her eyes, sewing her lips shut again and sawing her horns off would be preferable to Val Royeaux. Even without being the Herald of Andraste, she stuck out like a sore thumb. The curling horns and grey skin were more abnormal than the glowing hand to many of the Orlesians here. They moved out of her way quickly and didn’t bother to quieten their scathing remarks about her. She merely held her head high and carried on walking.  
  
Then, as Varric would say, shit went sideways. The Lord Seeker showed up, one of the Revered Mothers was punched to the ground and her help was refused when she offered the woman assistance standing up.  
  
“Tell me, Herald,” the Mother said as she stood, dusting off her robes and touching her nose briefly to check she wasn’t bleeding. “Do you consider yourself Andraste’s prophet?”  
  
“No,” Katari said without hesitation, ignoring the noise of exasperation from Cassandra. “I was just a mercenary in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wasn’t chosen for anything, it was just an accident. But if that’s what the people need to believe to carry on then I won’t tell them otherwise.”  
  
The Revered Mother seemed satisfied with that and nodded slightly before she allowed the other Mothers to lead her away back to wherever it was they spent their time. Katari sighed and turned away, heading back the way they came. She didn’t have anything else to do and if the others wanted to shop then she would wait for them at the forward camp while they did whatever they wanted. She turned her head to say so to the others when something caught her eye and she froze where she was.  
  
 The stalls around the market were all beautifully adorned with fascinating wares but there was one she saw that caught her eye and made her want to cry. There was a small stall, pushed between two larger ones, with little decoration and the merchant standing quietly at the stall – a qunari, tall and broad with horns that curled back beautifully – selling wares. There were Qunari armours and cloth and the smell of spice made her heart ache. She approached slowly, the merchant watching her carefully. His eyes darted over her, gaze resting on the scars around her lips and the staff on her back. She stood at the table and reached out to touch the Seheron silk with shaking fingers. She pulled her hand back at the last minute and turned to the qunari merchant.  
  
“Shanedan,” she said softly, bowing her head slightly before she realised that he may not know qunlat. She relaxed and smiled when he responded fluently.  
  
 “Shanedan, saarebas,” the qunari said with a returned nod and a brief smile. He continued in qunlat too, and the sound of her native tongue made her want to cry, “Interested in my wares?”  
  
“You are Tal-Vashoth?” she asked as she looked over everything he had. There were fabrics, schematics, weapons, armour and she wanted it all.  
  
 “Yes. So are you,” he said, nodding at her lips.  
  
 She smiled sadly. “Through no desire of my own, although I know that I can’t go back; I am saarebas.”  
  
“They would kill you,” he agreed. “I was Beresaad, sent to Orlais to witness the ways of the unworthy. I fell in love and didn’t go back.”  
  
“Do you ever regret it?” Katari asked. She was unable to understand how anyone could _choose_ to abandon the Qun.  
  
 “Sometimes, but then I look around and see what I have here. Victory is in the Qun, but happiness is not. Parshaara, this isn’t the time or place to talk about it. What can I help you with?”  
  
“I always wanted my own antaam-saar, but saarebas do not need armour. I want—Everything. The schematics, the fabric, the spices, I—What?” she asked when she realised he was grinning at her.  
  
 “You _want_. You are not Qunari anymore,” he said, stunning her to silence with the realisation.  
  
 Katari laughed suddenly. “No, I suppose not. We could do with more merchants in Haven, with the Inquisition. If you and your family want to come.”  
  
“I’ll talk to my wife about it, Herald,” the man promised, using her title for the first time. “My name is Anaan. Until then, how about you take a bit of everything? You seem like a woman who needs a bit of happiness in her life.”  
  
“Are you sure?” Katari asked with wide eyes. She couldn’t just take some of this man’s stock. It wasn’t like Par Vollen here; things were traded, not given. He needed coin to live. “No, let me pay, please.”  
  
Anaan nodded slightly as if sensing her panic and let her fish out her coin purse. She handed over several gold coins from her own purse and smiled widely as she accepted the sheets of schematics, folding them up neatly and placing them in her pocket.  
  
 “Where’s your camp, I’ll get this delivered there so you aren’t carting it around Val Royeaux,” Anaan said, setting out some parchment and a pencil. She directed him to where Scout Harding had put their camp, watching him write it down. “Alright, I’ll get this to you as soon as possible. Have a good day, Herald. Panahedan, Saarebas.”  
  
“Ataash varin kata,” Katari said with a hand on her heart. “Anaan-kost.”  
  
With that, Adaar turned away from the qunari and returned to where she had left her companions, a bright smile on her face and her heart lighter than it had been in a very long time.  
  
 “You alright there, fireball?” Varric asked, though he looked pleased to see her smile.  
  
 “I… Yes, I am. Thank you, Varric. Let’s get back to camp, unless there’s anything you want to do?”  
  
“There is an elf that seems to be lingering, waiting for you, I believe,” Solas said, nodding in the direction of where an elf woman stood. She had short black hair and wore mage’s robes.  
  
 “Let’s go see what she wants.”  
  
The party approached the elf where she was waiting near the gates they had come through. She stepped forward so she couldn’t be missed and smiled briefly.  
  
 “Herald? I am Grand Enchanter Fiona, I’d like to speak with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shanedan - "I'll hear you." A respectful greeting.
> 
> Beresaad - The vanguard of the antaam, sent abroad to interact with the outside world.
> 
> Parshaara - Enough
> 
> Anaan - Victory
> 
> Panahedan - Goodbye. Literally, "take refuge in safety."
> 
> Ataash varin kata - In the end lies glory
> 
> Anaan-kost - Peace, Anaan


	3. The Iron Bull

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katari meets Krem and the Iron Bull

Katari returned to Haven, trudging up through the village, having left Cassandra at the gates and Varric at his campfire. Solas had wandered off on his own almost as soon as they'd come back. There was a man standing in front of the Chantry, looking a little lost and trying to catch the attention who was walking past. She knew that her advisors, Josephine in particular, wanted to hear her account of Orlais as soon as possible but she stopped to help him.

"Can I help?" Katari offered as she stopped with a smile.

"I have a message but everyone seems to be far too busy to speak with me," he said, frustration obvious in his manner and tone.

"I'll take the message," she said.

The man relaxed; it was obvious even though he had such heavy armour on. He looked her over and straightened up suddenly. "You're the Herald," he said quickly. "My lady. I'm part of a mercenary company working for the Iron Bull; my boss has some information about a group of Tevinter mercs gathering on the Storm Coast. If you want to see what the Bull's Chargers can do, come join us."

"How much does he want for this information?" Katari asked, eyes narrowing slightly. No one gave information like _that_ free of charge.

"Nothing, he wants to invite you to watch what we can do and see if you want to hire us. We have references from across Ferelden and Orlais if you want to see them."

"This... 'Iron Bull', what's he like?"

"He's a good leader, fights right at the front, smarter than he looks. He's a qunari like you," the soldier said.

"And your name?"

"Cremissius Aclassi, my lady, although most call me Krem," he said, bowing slightly.

Katari didn't like it when people bowed to her because they thought she was important, but she didn't ask him to stop. If they took the contract of the Bull's Chargers, she would ask then. The Chargers: the name suddenly struck her. The Chargers and the Valo-Kas had worked together on an odd few jobs, opposed each other on others and otherwise existed in separate worlds. Katari had always been on other jobs or remained at camp so she had never come into contact personally with them.

"Krem. Thank you for bringing this information to our attention, we'll be at the Coast as soon as we can. Do you require a horse for the way back?"

"That won't be necessary, thank you, ma'am," Krem said.

"You're going to march all the way to the Coast? Don't be ridiculous. Take a horse. Consider it a gift from the Inquisition. In fact, tell your Chargers that it's a gift from the Valo-Kas." She couldn't stop the grin from growing on her face at her words.

Krem looked at her blankly for a few moments before realisation obviously hit him. He laughed slightly. "Fellow merc, huh? I'll let them know. Thank you, Herald. You come by the Storm Coast and watch us fight those 'vints, I'll pour you an ale myself."

Krem saluted her again and headed towards the stables, making her smile and head into the chantry. Thankfully Cullen, Leliana and Josephine were waiting outside the war room for her. Cassandra had stopped joining them for every meeting, instead preferring to train, with the recruits or by herself. Cullen looked like he'd been sleeping at least, that was good. His smile was small but genuine when he saw her. She liked that.

* * *

Katari heard the fighting before she stepped over the ridge of the hill. Below, the Chargers were fighting the Tevinter soldiers Krem had mentioned. Clearly everything had come to a head before they could get there but she was glad they were only halfway through.

Drawing her staff, Katari gathered her energy as she identified the key players on the battlefield. The first one to draw her eye was the qunari swinging a greataxe with such ease it could have been a stick. He was so broad and strong, his horns wide. By Koslun, he was beautiful. Krem was beside him with a maul, surprisingly large for a human. She threw down a barrier, managing to get both of them in one before she threw a fireball into the fray of the battle, the flames washing over the blue energy of the barriers around the Chargers' leader and Krem.

Solas healed, Varric picked off mages and archers, Cassandra slid down the hill to join the main battle while Katari brought up barriers and threw fire like it was a part of her. The sea air whipped against her skin where it wasn't covered by her antaam-saar, tearing her hair back from her face, making her feel free and powerful.

When the battle was over, Katari slid down the hill, kneeling so as not to get mud on the blue fabric of her armour or the red ropes that adorned her body. She stood and put her staff away, eyes darting over every inch of the Iron Bull, and there was a lot of it, most of it on show. The muscles in his arms and chest were thick and strong even when he was relaxed. There were scars all over his beautifully grey skin, even sneaking under the harness he wore across his shoulder. He'd lost an eye at some point and the patch was so intricately designed. He was breathing heavily and Katari wanted to find other things that would make him pant like that, what that black stubble would feel like against her thighs, what those horns would feel like under her hands... She took a deep breath herself, shocked by the almost immediate lust she felt for the man.

"The Iron Bull, I presume?" Katari asked, proud that she'd kept any tremor out of her voice.

That deep booming laugh resonated through her bones as he approached her, eyes - _eye_ \- roving over her. She loved her antaam-saar, the colours beautiful together and she would let no one belittle her for wearing it, for any reason.

"Damn, I thought Krem was pulling my leg. Bet they love you, _Herald of Andraste_ ," Iron Bull chuckled. "Qunari merc chosen by their beloved Maker."

"I wasn't always a mercenary," Katari said, noting the way his gaze dropped to her lips and the scars around them briefly.

"I can see that. So, how'd a saarebas end up this far south?" he asked, gesturing for the two of them to move further away from the main group.

"My kith attacked a band of Tal-Vashoth and were killed. The three other saarebas were killed in the battle, the Tal-Vashoth saved me. The Tal-Vashoth were some of the members of the Valo-Kas. I've been with them since. I'd go home if I could, but... You know how it is." Katari shrugged, crossing her arms, realising too late that the movement framed her breasts, already slightly exposed by her armour as they were.

"Yeah, I know," Iron Bull said, scratching the back of his head slightly. "So, you've seen my boys in action and I'll bet you can see that we're worth the expense. It ain't goin' to be cheap but you'll get me as well. You decide you want us, I go to your ambassador - Josephine, right? - and get everything set up. There's... one other thing that you need to know. I'm Ben-Hassrath. We're concerned about the Breach, they want me to join the Inquisition and send reports about what's happening."

"Ben-Hassrath?" she asked, unable to keep the awe from her voice. "Hissraari. Meraad astaarit--"

"Meraad itwasit," Bull finished with a slight smile curving his lips. "Enough of that, it makes the boys nervous. So, you wanna sign us on? Even though I'm Ben-Hassrath?"

"Iron Bull--"

"For you, Herald, it's just 'Bull'," he grinned at her.

"If you're going to be joining us, I'll need you to stop calling me 'Herald'," she said with a smirk of her own. "I go by Katari now."

"Katari, huh? Nice. So, little saarebas, you want the Chargers and their Ben-Hassrath commander?" Bull asked, grin fading into a smaller smile.

Katari couldn't deny the way her stomach fluttered when he called her 'saarebas'. "We could always do with some more muscle in the Inquisition," she said, pointedly looking over him.

Bull chuckled quietly and nodded, flexing in a way that made her laugh. "Hey, everyone needs a good bit of eye candy, even the Inquisition. Thankfully, I am happy to oblige."

Katari watched Bull go to talk with Krem and the other Chargers and felt Varric sidle up beside her with his hands in his pockets.

"So you're flirting with our new recruit, huh? Gotta say, fireball, never thought you'd be the flirting type. You reserve it especially for tall and burly qunari men?" the dwarf asked with a slight smirk.

"What can I say, Varric? How will you have material for your next - what are they called? - shirt ripper if I go about flirting with everyone I see?" she said.

"Bodice ripper?" he suggested. "You're kind to me."

"We'll meet you at Haven," Bull said as he returned, nodding in greeting to Varric. "How's that sound?"

"That's fine. I may not be there when you arrive, I have some business to see to in the Hinterlands," Katari said.

"You mean you _aren't_ going to be there to personally welcome us. Oh, saarebas, you wound me," Bull said with the slightest purr in her voice that made desire pool low in her belly as she straightened up a little more in response. "No worries. Don't kill anything good without me, saarataashi."

With that, Bull winked - although with only one eye it looked slightly ridiculous - and walked back to the Chargers, slapping Krem on the back as he lifted his battleaxe onto his shoulder lazily and walked with an arm draped over his lieutenant's shoulder.

"Saarataashi? What's that mean?" Varric asked though his accent was beyond terrible.

"It means asshole," Katari said with a blush on her cheeks that was thankfully hidden underneath the grey of her skin. If he wanted to come up with nicknames for her then she'd have to think of some for him, wouldn't she?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hissraari - people of illusions
> 
> Meraad astaarit - the tide rises
> 
> Meraad itwasit - the tide falls
> 
> Saarataashi - dangerous dragon, or dangerous glorious one


	4. Prayer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katari and Bull spend some time together.

After hiring the Warden in the Hinterlands, helping more of the refugees and gathering more herbs and seeds, Katari decided it was time to head back to Haven. They’d been wandering around the Hinterlands for several days and all the green was starting to get to her. It wasn’t anything like the lush jungles of Seheron or the beautiful forests of Par Vollen, it was just… green. Just plants and trees.  
  
“You just want to get home so you can get to know that merc commander,” Varric snorted in amusement when she said she was ready to go.  
Katari fixed him with a look and a raised brow. His grin only widened more; there was no chastising Varric for anything.  
  
“It’s nice not to have to struggle to remember the word for a chair,” she said, pointedly not trying to mask her accent. She didn’t mention that it was also nice to have someone who believed the same things she did; Cassandra might explode and she didn’t know Blackwall’s opinions on the Qun.  
  
Varric’s grin faded into an understanding smile. “That’s fair enough. Come on then, fireball, let’s get going.”  
  
“Herald, I thought we were going to meet with the mages in Redcliffe?” Solas asked.  
  
“Not just yet, I need more information from Josephine and Leliana about the situation in Redcliffe first but we’ll be back soon.”  
  
Solas nodded in acknowledgement and went quiet. The journey back was more boisterous than usual, with Varric riling up Blackwall and joking with their new recruit. There was finally someone who hadn’t heard all his jokes just yet, and someone new he could tease about staring at the Herald of Andraste’s bare belly. No doubt Iron Bull would receive the same treatment when the two of them sat down together.  
  
When they got back to Haven late the next day, Katari left Blackwall at the stables with a promise to talk tomorrow. Krem was stood at a tent outside of the gate but Bull wasn’t there. Katari nodded to Krem as she passed. The light was fading but not enough for the torches to be lit yet, she had time to go to the war room before she changed and went to the tavern.  
  
“Josie, have we heard anything from the Arl of Redcliffe yet?” she asked when she saw Josephine exiting her office to wait in the war room.  
  
“Ah, your worship,” she greeted with the slightest curtsey. “Not yet, I’m afraid. We can’t leave meeting with the mages too late, I’d advise going as soon as we are able.”  
  
Katari nodded. “At the start of next week, I think. Give our people the weekend and then we’ll go.”  
  
“Very well,” Josephine nodded.  
  
The meeting in the war room went as expected, with Leliana sharing what little news her spies had gathered about Blackwall, Josephine sharing news about the reaction of the Clerics in Orlais and Cullen demanding that they recruit the Templars to close the Breach instead of the mages. When they came to leave, Katari caught Cullen’s arm before the man could slip away. He stopped and waited for Leliana to shut the door behind her and Josephine.  
  
“Adaar?” he asked, managing to use her name instead of her title.  
  
“Do you have a problem with mages, Cullen?” she asked him, crossing her arms slightly. She sighed internally at the way his eyes flicked to her breasts with the movement.  
  
“No, of course not,” Cullen said quickly.  
  
“Do you think the Templars would be capable of closing the Breach?”  
  
“I-- I don’t think we should rule them out,” he said. Cullen shuffled slightly where he stood.  
  
“Who is more likely to be able to close the Breach, the mages or the Templars?”  
  
There were a few long moments of hesitation before he spoke again, “The mages.”

“Okay. So let me make my decision and support me with it. If you’re going to leave decisions to me, then you have to accept that choice and work with me. If you’re worried about them causing havoc, then what safer place is there for them than here?”  
  
The Commander nodded reluctantly and she let him leave when he moved for the door. He opened it and hesitated. “I’m sorry, Katari, I don’t mean to second-guess you.”  
  
“I’ll do my job while you do yours. You are very good at it, after all,” Katari said with a reassuring smile.  
  
The smile he returned was weak but there. When the door closed, Katari leaned back against the war table and sighed, letting her head fall back on her shoulders. The end of her ponytail brushed against her skin and suddenly she found herself wishing Sataa was there to braid it for her. Or just… there, in general. She missed her. It had been months since Katari had last seen Sataa and it was starting to wear on her. Sataa was the one who reassured her that she wasn’t a danger to others, that she was loved, that she was worth it.  
  
With another sigh, Katari straightened up and left the war room, jumping when she all but walked into a wall of solid muscle, a hand coming up to stop herself. It took her a few minutes to realise that it was Iron Bull she was touching, her hand resting on his muscular chest, her eyes wide and lips parted slightly.  
  
“If you wanted to touch, boss, you only needed to ask,” Bull said with a crooked grin.  
  
Katari cleared her throat and stepped back, dropping her hands down to her sides. “Sorry. What can I do for you, Bull?”  
  
“Came to see if you wanted to grab a drink,” he said with a shrug.  
  
“Let me change first. How are you settling in?” she asked, gesturing for him to follow her. He raised an eyebrow in surprise but did anyway.  
  
“Yeah, it’s good. The boys like the tavern, the tavern likes their money,” Bull grinned. “We made camp outside the walls, I started helping your Cullen train those troops of yours. A lot of them are green. They need experience, but they're determined and enthusiastic. They believe in you, you know? They think you can save the whole world.”

Katari sighed softly, head bowing briefly as they walked through the village to her small house. She held the door open for Bull and he followed her inside, pulling it shut behind them.

"I know," she whispered. "It's hard. They think I'm some prophet for their Maker's bride. I don't even believe in their Maker. You should see the looks I get when I speak my own language or I mention the Qun or even when I pray, it's not-- I can't--"

She dropped to sit on her bed, dropping her head into her hands. Bull was silent for a few minutes before a sudden grunt made her look up. Her eyes went wide when she saw him kneeling down beside her, resting his elbows on her bed.

"B-Bull?" Katari asked hesitantly.

Bull smiled and took hold of one of her hands. His hand dwarfed hers and it made her heart flutter. His little finger was missing from the knuckle, and the tip of his ring finger was gone too. There were scars all up his arm, some short and shallow but others had obviously been deep.

"Pray with me," he said quietly.

She hesitated for a moment before she slipped from the bed and knelt beside him. He didn't release her hand and she didn't try to remove it from his grip, the hold more comforting that she'd thought it would be. Katari opened her mouth to begin but words wouldn't come. It had been so long since she'd prayed properly aloud. The words were only ever spoken in her head; before she had been taken away from the Qun, her lips had been sewn shut and ever since she had been surrounded by people that thought the Qun no more than a control mechanism and an excuse for slavery.

Tears welled in her eyes when Bull started for her and he didn't mention the quiver in her voice when she joined in.

"Tonight, in the desert, with emptiness all around..." they said together, Katari's words no more than a whisper.

They spoke several cantos together but Bull seemed to know when she needed to stop and so he didn't continue after the third. She bowed her head and let a lone tear fall onto the covers of her bed.

"You good there, boss?" Bull asked, his voice softer than she thought it could be.

Katari nodded and wiped her eyes with the hand that wasn't clutching Bull's like a lifeline.

"You still want to go for that drink?" he said with a smile. She huffed a laugh and nodded, taking a deep breath. "Alright. I'll see if I can get hold of some maraas-lok with my next shipment of equipment, I think you could do with some. Let's get you changed into something more comfortable."

With another nod, Katari let her hand fall out of Bull's when the man stood, slowly with another grunt.

"Are you alright?" she asked, looking him over quickly.

"Yeah, I just got a bum knee," Bull said with a shrug. "Your clothes in here?" He pointed to her chest of drawers.

When she nodded, he pulled open the drawer and pulled out a pair of trousers made of soft nugskin, a loose tunic and a pair of black smalls. He hummed in appreciation as he held up the smalls, grinning at her.

"Nice," was all he said though she blushed a deep grey.

Bull returned to the bed and set her things down on the mattress, helping her to her feet because she still hadn't got off the floor. She went to the first knot of the antaam-saar but Bull caught her wrist and did it for her. The feeling of his fingers brushing her skin as he undid and removed the ropes made her shiver slightly. When the ropes were gone, the material fell away with them, leaving her bare to his eye from the waist up.

Her breasts weren't large for a qunari but they were round and full, nipples hard with the cool air of the room and his attentions, even platonic as they were. Bull didn't do anything for a few long moments, just running the rope through his hands slowly.

"Taarsidath-an halsaam," he murmured. Katari laughed softly, averting her gaze from him, her blush deepening further. "Hey, you think I'm joking."

"Somehow, I don't," she said, moving away to undo the ropes around her waist and push down her trousers.

Since she'd joined the Valo-Kas, she'd been eating properly for the first time since she was young and she was allowed to return for more. Her body was thick, her muscle padded with fat. Her thighs touched and there marks all over her body where her skin had stretched to accommodate her new shape; around her thighs, her sides, her upper arms.

Katari slipped into her smalls and pulled her trousers on, grabbing a pair of socks from the drawer and pulling them on before she unlaced the top half of her tunic so she could pull it over her head around her horns.

"No breastband? Racy," Bull chuckled. She looked at it, lips parting when she saw the look on his face. His eyes were dark and lips damp where he'd licked them.

"What can I say, I like to live dangerously," Katari said, pulling her ponytail out of her tunic so she could lace it up at the front, hiding her breasts from view.

"I can imagine, little saarebas," he purred.

"You know my name but I don't know yours," Katari pointed out, turning to him when she decided she was ready to go.

"Illusions, remember?" Bull said with a grin, shrugging. "I'll buy the first round."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prayer they start is the Body Canto, which can be found [here](http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/The_Body_Canto#The_Body_Canto), along with all the other cantos. 
> 
> Taarsidath-an halsaam: "I will bring myself sexual pleasure later, while thinking about this with great respect."


	5. The Tavern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katari and Bull head to the tavern and Varric is a nosy little shit.

The tavern was busy when they arrived, though Katari recognised most of the customers as members of Bull’s mercenary company. Bull hadn’t been kidding about them liking the tavern then. When they saw Bull, they moved away from a table they’d clearly been saving for him. Bull nodded to the nearest one, a female elf with face tattoos. Katari couldn’t remember what they were called.

They sat down and within a few moments, two mugs of ale had been placed down on the table, the young serving girl bowing to Katari. Adaar smiled until the girl left, when her shoulders sagged and she picked up the mug, drinking from it.

“Their belief in you keeps them going,” Bull reminded her gently in qunlat, drawing the attention of the closest Chargers.

Katari snorted slightly as she drank, shrugging slightly. “I know. If it’s what people need to believe then its fine. That doesn’t make it easier though. I’m assuming the Ben-Hassrath know what I am?” she asked, moving the subject away from her supposed divinity.

“They do now,” Bull said. “Hope that isn’t a problem.”

“What? No, of course it isn’t. If it was a problem, I wouldn’t have hired you. You must know just how much people respect the Ben-Hassrath.”

“I used to. I haven’t been home in a long time. Miss the necessities; horn balm, good vitaar, the undying worship of many…” He grinned, lounging back in his chair.

Katari laughed. “Well, lucky for you, I happen to know a Tamassran who makes the best horn balm ever, and a mercenary commander that’s good at making vitaar. I’d be happy to share. As for the worship, I’m sure you could try posing as me. Bas probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.” She winked at him with a wide grin, feeling more alive than she had in a long time.

Bull laughed loudly. “Oh, I don’t know, I’ve already seen some of the looks they give you. I was watching you when you returned. Don’t know if I could pull off the antaam-saar anywhere near as well as you do, even if you do look better out of it.”

“You’re going to be thinking about that all night now, aren’t you?” Katari asked, the grin still stuck on her face.

“Damn right. Taarsidath-an halsaam, remember? That doesn’t bother you, does it?”

“Of course not.”

Bull pinned her with a look that froze her where she was. It wasn’t the playful desire she’d been expecting, instead it was a look of tense curiosity.

“Katari. Are you saying it doesn’t bother you because it genuinely doesn’t or because you feel you should due to me being Ben-Hassrath?” he asked firmly, his flirtation gone.

Out of the corner of her eye, Katari could see the Chargers glancing at them with greater curiosity and concern, although she wasn’t sure who it was directed at.

“There’s a difference between respecting you and feeling like I owe you,” Katari said, looking down into her mug.

“So what would you say if I told you to get down on your knees for me right now?” he asked.

Katari managed to suppress her shiver of interest, though from the twitch of Bull’s lips it was clear he noticed her reaction.

“I’d tell you to buy me dinner, another round and take me somewhere private first,” Katari shot back at him, hiding her face behind her cup as she drank from it.

Bull laughed suddenly and she relaxed a little, grateful for the dim lighting of the tavern that hid or at least disguised her blush. “Good to know,” he said with a grin, looking up when Varric slid into a chair at their table.

“Hey, fireball,” Varric greeted, eyes twinkling with mischief. At first, Katari didn’t understand the words, having become used to listening to qunlat again. “Tiny, good to see you’ve settled in already.”

“’Tiny’, huh?” Bull chuckled, falling easily back into common.

“Varric has an obsessive compulsion to give nicknames,” Katari explained, sitting back a little more. She turned to the bar and lifted her mug in one hand and holding up three fingers with the other. “Something to get used to, I’m afraid.”

“The chief knows all about nicknames,” Krem laughed from the next table. “What’s that new one you’ve come up with?”

“Krem brulee,” Bull grinned. “It’s a nice little Orlesian dessert.”

“What can we do for you, Varric?” Katari asked pointedly with a sweet smile.

Varric just smiled in return. “Thought I’d come and see my favourite herald,” the dwarf said. “Was I interrupting something?”

“Of course not, Varric. We were just talking,” she said.

Grinning, Varric said, “Sitting over here, leaning across the table to talk to each other in a language no one else can understand… It’s all very suspicious. Or romantic. Or both.” The look on his face made Katari want to do something about his smugness. “Might have to start a new novel. Ruffles will _love_ it.”

“Please don’t write a book about me.”

“No one will know it’s you!” Varric said. “I’ll call her… Sataa.”

“Varric, I swear, if you write _smut_ about a character with my Tama’s name, I will quite literally tear you to pieces.”

“Not even a little bit? Not even just one scene?”

“Pieces, Varric. Small ones. Which I will feed to the wolves. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I get it, don’t worry,” Varric said with a smirk.

Katari sat back when a barmaid brought over three beers, taking the empty mugs.

“I always find that Ferelden ale tastes like dog hairs and dirt,” the dwarf said even as he drank it.

Bull laughed. “You ever tried Orlesian ham?”

“Despair,” Varric agreed with a nod. “So, Tiny, tell us about yourself.”

“We aren’t interviewing him for a job, Varric,” Katari said with amusement in her voice. “’ _We_ ’? Why am I getting myself involved?”

“What can I say, dwarf? I like romantic poetry and long walks on the beach,” Bull said, his scarred lips curling into a smirk that was entirely too attractive for his own good. “I also enjoy crushing the skulls of the enemy, making shitty jokes and drinking.”

“He’s a keeper,” Varric said to Katari with a grin and wink.

Katari scowled and punched Varric in the shoulder. She may not have been a melee fighter but she was still strong and he rubbed his arm as he pulled away, laughing.

“Parshaara, vashedost,” she growled at him, scowling. Bull snorted in amusement at her words.

“She’s calling you a piece of shit, Varric,” Bull grinned.

“I’m leaving now, lest I anger the beast,” Varric said, holding his hands up in defence before he grabbed his mug and went to sit with someone else.

“Arisaar-vat,” Bull said, the words practically a purr. “Little kasaanda, you are, aren’t you?”

Katari laughed slightly, shaking her head. “Varric is under the impression that I am… What were his words? Oh, ‘romantically and sexually neglected’,” she grumbled, blushing slightly. She felt so comfortable with Bull, though this was only the second time they’d met. Perhaps it was because he was Qunari, or he could speak her language or because he was Ben-Hassrath. Whatever it was, there was something about him that drew her in and made her happy to be around him. She supposed that was why he’d been chosen for the Ben-Hassrath in the first place.

“Neglected? No handsome Tal-Vashoth lover waiting for you to return to the Valo-Kas?” Bull teased, and it was clear that if she took both him and Varric out into the field, there would be no living with them.

“No,” Katari said, humouring him. “No lover. There’s never been one. Not a permanent one anyway.”

“Damn. They’d be one lucky bastard though.”

Katari blushed, resting her chin in her hand and letting her fingers play over the warmth of her cheeks. “You keep saying ‘they’. Making sure because you don’t know who I’m into?” she asked.

“I’m into anything and everything, I can’t judge,” Bull chuckled. “So, who _are_ you into? You got a secret dwarf kink and that’s why Varric’s your best friend?”

Laughing loudly, Katari covered her mouth with her hand so as not to disturb anyone too much. When it tapered off, she grinned, her fingers playing absently over the puncture scars in her lower lip.

“Definitely not. And even if I did, Varric is very much devoted to his crossbow, Bianca. You should see the amount of time he spends oiling that thing, it’s ridiculous.”

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you not answering my question there,” he pointed out.

“Fine, fine,” she said, giving in easily. “I don’t know. I’ve only ever had sex with men before, mostly Tal-Vashoth. There was one human. It was very… _disappointing_.” She grinned wickedly, making Bull laugh. The sound was deep and loud but she loved it, smiling slightly.

“Yeah, I bet. Bet you missed that knot, huh?” he said, the words rumbling like a growl in his chest. Bull shifted slightly, scratching at the skin on the edge of his chest harness.

“You are allowed to take that off, you know?” Katari pointed out, an eyebrow raised ever so slightly.

“You just want to see more of my chest, don’t you?”

“Taarsidath-an halsaam, right?” she reminded with a broad grin before she drank from her mug. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vashedost – you piece of shit
> 
> Arisaar-vat – dangerous one of fire, fiery dangerous one
> 
> Kasaanda – ‘sundew’, a carnivorous plant


	6. The Tent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katari and Bull share a tent. Again, it goes exactly as expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second time ever writing het smut soooo... Be kind!
> 
> Also, all my italics disappeared so :) yay. Will fix that at some point.

The trip to the Hinterlands to meet with the mages was the perfect time to test Bull's skills as a part of their team and not as a leader. There had been no word from the Arl of Redcliffe but they could delay no longer so they were returning to the Hinterlands once again. This time, Katari had managed to prepare a relief package for the refugees that remained at the Crossroads. They could live a little longer with that.

The trip didn't take too long by foot and now with Horsemaster Dennet and his mounts, they could do it in a day if they left at sunrise and the weather was good. Thankfully, that meant they didn't have to put up with any of the pathetically small tents that they had to use on the road. The small outpost near the farms had a number of tents that were of a large enough size for Katari to sit up in comfortably without her horns tearing holes in the fabric.

The weekend had been interesting to say the least. For the first time in... weeks, months, she'd spent most of the time with a smile on her face. She knew the reason for that; she could look over her shoulder and see it. The Iron Bull was a wonder of a man: kind and sweet but also incredibly crude and flirtatious. She'd seen the qunari knock Cullen flat on his ass within the first few seconds of their sparring session. One of their most seasoned warriors and he'd been knocked down with nothing more than what for Bull was no more than a light tap. She'd be lying if she said it hadn't gotten her a little riled up.

"So who's bunking with who?" Varric asked, pointedly looking at Katari with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"If you're not careful, Varric, you'll be bunking with the farmers' druffalo," Katari said with a sweet smile.

"Hey, I'm only asking because you're like a heater and it can get pretty cold out here on these long Ferelden nights..." Varric sighed dramatically.

"Why don't you draw straws for it," she joked, rolling her eyes as she lit the lamps that hung around camp. Night was starting to draw in and she could light the torches with a wave of her hand instead of wasting resources and time in going around and lighting them all by hand. "Loser has to share a tent with me."

"That's a loss I'd happily take, boss," Bull grinned over at her.

Katari merely rolled her eyes and handed the reins of her horse to one of the scouts. A quick glance around the camp revealed that Scout Harding had moved on from the area. Shame, she enjoyed the woman's company.

Shrugging out of the overcoat that Josephine had forced her into with her fussing and concern, Katari smiled to herself. Josephine had asked that she not wear her antaam-saar when travelling through the mountains and western Ferelden as it could be deathly cold but when Katari had entered the Chantry in little more than leggings and a tunic, the ambassador had flitted around until she'd found a coat that was large enough for her and thick enough to keep her warm. Katari had briefly feared for Cullen's mantle in case Josephine wasn't able to find anything suitable.

"We'll move out at dawn to deliver the supplies to the refugees and then we'll head to Redcliffe. Any complaints?" she asked, looking around her party. When there was nothing, she nodded, draping her coat over her arm and slinging her pack over her shoulder. "In that case, I'll be in this tent here. When you boys have decided on the sleeping arrangements, someone can join me. Goodnight."

With that, Katari climbed into the tent and set her things in the far corner, glad that there were already bedrolls and blankets inside as she kicked her boots off. She liked having these camps constantly attended, she decided. Opening her pack, she got out what she would need in the morning, placing the thick fabric and enchanted ropes of her antaam-saar on the tent floor, rummaging through everything to ensure that she wasn't missing anything. Health potions, lyrium potions, some salt-dried rations in case anything had gone wrong on the way, spare clothes, it was all there. She returned her armour to the pack and when something touched her shoulder, she yelped in surprise and turned quickly with magic at her fingertips automatically.

"Sorry, boss, just me," Bull said reassuringly with a slight smile.

"Don't laugh at me!" she ordered, smacking his chest with her hand. She glared at him as she drew her magic back, breathing deeply to regain the control over it.

Her glare didn't last long, not when Bull let out a little throaty chuckle, the sound shooting sparks through her. Her anger wilted quickly under his gaze, his one eye dark as he looked over her as if she were wearing the most wonderful lingerie instead of some simple cotton and wool clothes.

"You're sleeping in here tonight, then?" Katari asked, sniffing haughtily as she turned back to fiddle with her backpack.

"Only as long as that ain't a problem," Bull reassured, waiting for her to speak before he even so much as set his pack down on the blankets.

"I suppose I can oblige that," she said, flicking her ponytail over her shoulder as she glanced at him briefly.

Only then did he drop his things and place his axe beside her staff at the entrance of the tent. Bull shifted slightly to drop and lay on his back with a groan of relief. Katari couldn't help her slight grin.

"Getting old?" she asked.

"Fucking feels like it," Bull laughed quietly. "We can't all be lean little things like you."

"Lean? Bull, I know you've only got one eye but I'm hardly lean. Look at me," Katari said, touching her belly where it was covered for once.

"Does it bother you?" Bull asked, his tone indiscernible of any emotion.

"It did at first, until I realised that it was pretty normal. You know, this might be the longest conversation we've had in Trade," Katari pointed out.

Bull grinned and knocked her thigh slightly where she was sat with her legs crossed. "Don't change the subject on me, ataashi,"

"Alright, alright," she laughed, smacking him playfully on the arm. "It did for a long time before some of the other Valo-Kas showed me that they have markings like I do and it's normal. Like those - what are they called? - tigers, in Seheron."

"Arisaar indeed," Bull chuckled, rolling to lie on his side with his chin in his hand. "You've been to Seheron?"

Katari hummed in confirmation as she reached up to pull the leather tag from her hair, letting the waves fall around her shoulders and down her back. "Arvaarad was assigned to a karataam stationed there. I went with him, obviously. There was an assault on a Tevinter camp. Arvaarad got distracted and he couldn't control my magic for a few moments. The assault was successful at least. But a sten, two karashok and four karasaad died. All because they trusted a saarebas in their midst."

"What happened to Arvaarad?" Bull asked, voice soft as he took hold of her hand, squeezing slightly. Katari relaxed a little, looking down at where his thumb rubbed over the back of her hand slowly.

"I don't know. I was sent back to Par Vollen for assessment and reeducation. When I was returned to Arvaarad, it was a different one. That was when I had my mouth sewn shut. To mark me as dangerous and make sure I couldn't convince anyone otherwise with my evil saarebas lies." Katari shrugged, tilting her head slightly to let her hair fall forward into her lap, curling her fingers around the soft strands slowly. She didn't lapse back into qunlat like she usually would have by now, determined to remain in Trade. "It was a long time ago now. I'm guessing you've been."

"Yeah. What a fucking shitstorm that place is. Both sides fighting because, well, that's what we've been doing for ages. Can't let go of tradition," Bull said without looking up at her, instead focusing on looking at her hand and the way his fingers played and stroked over her skin. "I spent almost a decade there. Hunting down Tal-Vashoth and keeping peace with the natives. Killing 'vints and Tal-Vashoth and Fog Warriors and resistance groups. Watched a lot of good men die under my command."

Katari's heart stopped for a few long moments. She'd barely managed six months at the front and she had regular nightmares but ten years? She brought her free hand from her hair to grasp Bull's thick wrist and try to offer him the comfort he gave her.

"I'm sorry, Bull. I'm so sorry. How did you do it? How do you get out of bed everyday?" she asked quietly.

"Helps when I know there's going to be a pretty face to look at," Bull said with a slight grin.

Katari laughed and let go of his hand to smack his chest again but he caught her wrist instead and there was a blur of motion before she found herself flat on her back with Bull looming above her. She stared up at him with wide eyes, her lips parted in surprise.

"Bull..." Katari breathed, her tongue darting out over her lips as her heart fluttered in... confusion, anticipation and-- desire...

Bull didn't respond to her for a few moments but when he did, he leaned down until their lips almost touched and her breath hitched loudly in the otherwise silence of the tent. Katari was pinned beneath Bull, one of his legs thrown across hers to keep her beneath him as if there was anywhere else in the world she would rather be. The position brought him close enough that she could feel his cock pressing against her hip, only slightly hard but even then Katari could tell he was bigger than anything else she'd ever taken but by Koslun, she wanted it. He had her hands pinned above her head, stretching her out just too much so she had to arch her spine towards him.

"Bull, I--" Katari gasped, trying to lean up to get his lips on hers but he pulled back just enough to deny her, pulling soft whimpers from her throat. "Did I-- do something wrong?"

The shake of Bull's head was tiny, barely a twitch but it made her relax as much as she could with her body stretched out almost to its limit.

"I watched you over the past couple days," Bull purred against her lips in quiet qunlat. "I watched you run around the village, making sure that everyone was okay, that everything was fully stocked, organising these supplies for the refugees that you are under no obligation to help at all, and you know what I thought?"

"Wh-What?" Katari asked when he didn't continue. Her heart was pounding in her chest, stomach fluttering with the butterflies that had settled in it all of a sudden.

"I stood there and thought 'And who looks after her, when she's so busy looking after everyone else?' And you know what I found out? No one," Bull breathed against her lips. "No one looks after you. And you need it. You need to be able to let your hair down--" Bull buried his free hand in the hair at the base of her scalp, massaging the area and making her arch into the touch with a soft whimper. "--and relax. Let someone else be in charge for a change. What do you say, saarebas? Let me help you relax?"

Katari couldn't help but stare up at him, her eyes still wide but her body thrummed with every beat of her heart and she needed him. It had been... months, she realised then, and she wanted this. Badly.

"Please," she sighed, cheeks flushing a dark grey and she wanted to hide her face away from his gaze but she couldn't; she was frozen still where she was, only relaxing when Bull leaned down to kiss her.

His lips were slightly chapped, the stubble around his mouth rough and scratchy in the most delicious way. The kiss was almost... chaste to begin with as if Bull was just testing the waters, pulling back ever so slightly the second that Katari pressed forward for more.

"Bull," Katari whined pleadingly, fingers curling useless to press her nails into her palms.

"If at any point you want to stop, you say 'katoh' and we stop this, no questions asked. Sound good?" Bull asked, their lips brushing as he spoke.

"That's fine. Will you please-- Please," she whispered, leaning up again and this time he met her halfway, kissing her deeply.

Bull squeezed her wrists pointedly before he slowly let go of them, bringing his hand to her side and running it down the length of her slowly to hold onto her hip. "Keep your hands there," he ordered, tugging gently at where he had his other hand still buried in her hair.

It was torture enough to have to keep her arms still when all she wanted was to wrap them around his neck or grip his horns or something, but she did as she was told and remained still. Bull continued planting his soft kisses on her lips before his mouth left hers and began to skim along the line of her jaw. Teeth scraped gently over her skin, kissing firmly and sucking gently.

That was what drew the first moan, the suction on her neck, the kisses that promised more. Bull's big hand left her hip and clamped over her mouth. He looked at her warningly before he carried on, leaving his hand on her mouth. When Bull bit into her throat, the hiccup of a desperate moan sounding even behind his hand and she arched into him, her hips rolling to try and find something friction, anything to soothe the growing desperation under her skin.

"How much do you like this shirt?" Bull asked, his voice rough as he released her mouth and moved to the front laces of her tunic, gripping the fabric instead of the laces.

"I have spares," Katari said, arching in demand. Bull growled softly and let go of her hair as well, gripping the shirt in his hands and tearing it apart easily. The sound was loud in the tent, though it muffled Katari's quiet giggle of anticipation.

Bull knelt up, straddling her thighs as he was to hold her still as he took hold of her wrists again and held her hands against the floor so he could admire her bare chest. The position had her breasts spilling either side of her body but Bull swore quietly at the sight of her, spending a few long moments simply looking.

"Perfection," he sighed happily, taking hold of her hands to manipulate them. He made her cup her breasts, pressing them together and massaging them slowly.

"Bull..." Katari breathed shakily, head arching back and making her horns rock on the ground, the curve of them holding her head up off the ground. "Touch me, please."

He nodded and released her hands. "Hands back up," he said, watching her with a dark eye full of lust. "That's it, like that... You just lie back and let me make you feel good, ataashi."

Katari took a shaky breath and relaxed, keeping her hands as still as she could above her head. Bull's rough hands made her gasp when he touched her, the rough callouses of his hands dragging over her nipples and drawing sweet little noises from her. His mouth joined soon after and she arched into him desperately when he clamped his lips around one of her nipples and sucked hard.

The moan that came out of her was trembling and needy but Bull didn't hurry, just taking his time all but suckling at her with quiet noises of his own. Suddenly, teeth gripped her nipple and she cried out, unable to stop her hands from grabbing Bull's horn to try and pull him closer to her. It only succeeded in making him stop and she groaned in frustration, back arching into the air.

"I said to leave your hands there," Bull growled, though the sound wasn't threatening. It was completely the opposite and it only made Katari whimper more as he forcibly moved her hands back to where he'd placed them. "Keep them there."

"I'm sorry," Katari whimpered, her eyes wide again with panic at the idea he would stop because she'd moved her hands inadvertently.

Bull hushed her softly. "Don't apologise, just don't do it again," Bull said with a smile that eased her anxiety.

Katari nodded and eased back against the blankets of her bedroll. This time when Bull moved, he moved slowly, pointedly wrapping his lips around her nipple and she watched, transfixed. When he sucked firmly, her head fell back.

"Bull, please," Katari whispered, her hips jerking slightly. The way he sat across her thighs trapped her, kept her still, meant that she couldn't get any friction whichever way she arched or rubbed or wriggled. "I need-- I need more, please, I can't..."

Bull did as she asked, slowly moving down her body, planting kisses over her ribs and her stomach. The rolls of her belly had been stretched almost taut with how Bull had her spread out. When he reached the waistband of her trousers, he slowly undid them instead of ripping them open like he had her shirt.

The buttons were popped one by one until they were all open and Bull let his questing lips forge the path, kissing down lower over the tight curls of the hair there and the silk of her smalls until he could go no further and he had to peel the trousers down her legs, baring them inch by inch and kissing over her skin every step of the way.

Although there was nothing especially arousing about the way Bull kissed her ankles after pulling off her trousers and socks, it made her breath catch in her throat when he slowly started to make his way back up. The anticipation and excitement coiled in her gut until she was doing her best to stop her thighs from rubbing together.

Starting with his hands on the insides of her knees, Bull slid them up slowly, parting her thighs as his lips followed the path they'd made. The soft grey skin of her thighs was sensitive and when he sucked a tiny kiss into it, she moaned softly.

"Bull, Bull, Bull..." Katari gasped, chanting his name over and over again as he neared the hem of her underwear.

Bull's thick fingers hooked into the silk of them but he stopped, amusement and bright desire flickering in his eye. "May I?" he asked.

"If you don't, I might have to freeze your balls off," Katari laughed, surprised by how articulate she was.

Bull chuckled softly but did as she asked, peeling her underwear down her legs. His nostrils flared when she was exposed to his senses. He groaned loudly and buried his face in the crook of her thigh.

"Fuck, you smell so good... You're so wet for me and I haven't even touched you properly," Bull growled. "Shit, I want to eat you out so badly. Can I, please?"

"You want to what?" Katari asked hesitantly, about to bring her hands down to hold onto Bull's horns before she stopped herself, remembering his orders. He surprised her by grabbing hold of her hand and kissing the back of it, setting it to rest on her belly.

"Lick you, play with you with my mouth and tongue?" he elaborated, looking somewhere between alarmed and annoyed when she still looked a little blank. "No one's ever done that for you before? Well damn, now I want to sit down all the guys you've ever fucked and teach them what they should be doing for their partner. Guessing you've never had an orgasm either? Or are you one of those lucky ladies that can come just from being fucked?"

"I-- I don't think so," Katari said, blushing. She suddenly felt very self conscious and wanted to close her legs but with them stretched over Bull's shoulders and his cheek resting on her inner thigh that was impossible.

"Believe me, you'd know. Trust me? Lie back and just trust me, ataashi," Bull said softly, resting his hand on her stomach and rubbing his thumb over her skin. "Trust me..."

Katari took a shaky breath and released it slowly, nodding as she relaxed and lay back. Bull shifted and pulled her closer to him as he kissed over the very tops of the inside of her thighs, his thumb lightly tracing the edge of her. Her breath caught in her throat again and she took a deep breath to relax further.

When Bull stroked over the length of her slit, she gasped suddenly, hand curling into a fist on her stomach. He'd been right, she was so wet that she could feel the slickness smearing over her skin. He repeated the move again, a little firmer this time, and then once more before he dipped his thumb into her and she gasped loudly, hand shooting out to grab hold of his horn at the base of it.

"So sensitive..." Bull said with awe in his tone. "Relax and just do what feels right."

Katari nodded ever so slightly and watched Bull dip his head slightly. For a short moment there was nothing before she felt the tip of his rough tongue press against her flesh. He just lightly circled her entrance but it was enough to have her moaning, nails digging into his horn. Her other hand tangled itself in her hair just for something else to hold onto.

Encouraged by her reaction, Bull started in earnest and if she'd been told about this earlier, she knew there was nothing else she would have been doing since. He licked up the inside of her lips, gathering all of the wetness that she'd been producing since he'd started. Bull moaned softly as if he was actually the one being pleasured. He moved his attentions to her clit, the very tip of his tongue swirling around it where it had swollen already and there was no disguising her desperate moans. It was likely that the whole camp knew exactly what they were doing but Katari couldn't find it in herself to care.

"B-Bull, fuck--" Katari gasped, crying out when he licked over her clit with the whole width of his tongue, the surface of it rough like all qunari tongues. She was so sensitive already and it felt so good, the tightening in her stomach made her panic. What was happening? What was that feeling? It felt so good, even just building like it was but was was it?

"Katari," Bull said softly, drawing her attention back to the present. "Relax."

Katari nodded and took another deep breath, although it was immediately punched out of her when Bull pushed his whole tongue inside her, curling it as he drew back, moaning happily.

"You taste so good, I could lie here for hours..."

Blushing again, Katari whined desperately, tugging at his horn to try and draw him back to her. He chuckled softly, rubbing his stubbled cheek over the inside of her thigh before he plunged his tongue into her again. At Bull's quiet encouragement, Katari just closed her eyes and gave over to the sensations that flooded her nerves. She didn't even know what Bull was doing but she didn't want him to stop. After a few minutes, she grabbed his other horn as well, almost steering him where she wanted him but he didn't seem to mind.

The tent was full of her loud moans and his breathy sighs of desire when he pulled back for air. That building feeling continued to bubble in her belly until all of a sudden it became too much and pure sensations exploded through her body, making her cry out and buck her hips against Bull's mouth, panting heavily as the tent slowly stopped spinning, her chest heaving. Bull didn't stop immediately though his touches were much lighter and slower as if he were winding her down.

When her breathing had come mostly under her own control and her fingers loosened enough for her to pry them off Bull's horns. She sagged into the bedroll, letting her head fall back although her head wasn't actually touching the ground, her horns keeping her off it.

Suddenly, Katari laughed quietly, letting her eyes close. "Vashedan," she sighed happily.

"Good?" Bull asked with a grin and a knowing twinkle in his eye - as if half the Hinterlands didn't know just how good he'd made that for her.

"You know it, you asshole," she grinned, smacking his shoulder. "Let me..." She reached for his belt but he drew his hips back from her with a reassuring smile.

"No, tonight was just about you. You look exhausted," he commented with a proud smirk. "Some other time. I don't know about you, but I'd love to do that again."

Katari grinned, stretching out happily, every inch of her body loose and languid after her orgasm. Her first orgasm. She rolled over onto her front, just accepting that there was no use arguing with Bull, as much as she wanted to feel the heavy weight of his cock in her hand. Her muscles twitched in surprise when she felt his large hands rubbing down her back and sides.

"So, will you let me repeat the favour sometime?" he asked as he lay down on his back and stretched out.

Between the two of them, they produced enough heat to keep the tent warm, even if Katari was completely bare and Bull was half naked.

"I'm sure I can be persuaded," she chuckled, reaching up to rub over the base of his horns. Bull purred softly, eyes sliding half shut. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Nah, you're good. Even if you had, getting to see that face you made when you came? Worth it."

Katari laughed softly and settled down under the blankets that Bull draped over her, peeking up at him and fluttering her eyelashes softly. Bull merely grinned and leaned over to kiss her. She drifted off to sleep quickly and if she woke in the middle of the night pressed against Bull's chest then she just hesitated before she shifted back over to her side of the tent and spent the rest of the night over there. And she definitely didn't miss his warmth already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ataashi - dragon, glorious one
> 
> Arisaar - dangerous one
> 
> Karataam - battalion 
> 
> Arvaarad - Qunari Templar let's be real
> 
> Sten - commander 
> 
> Karashok - private
> 
> Karasaad - soldier
> 
> Katoh - end, achievement 
> 
> Vashedan - shit


	7. Redcliffe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katari and co arrive in Redcliffe and find the mages stolen out from under them. Lucky there's an Altus to explain.

When Katari woke in the morning, she found the tent empty and her body draped with blankets that definitely hadn't been there when she'd gone to sleep. She stretched out over the bedroll and hummed happily. That had been a good night. Better than anything she'd ever had before, without a doubt.

Sitting up, she looked for the material of her antaam-saar. Once she found it, she lifted the fabric to her breasts and gasped slightly at the sight of her nipples; they were dark and swollen and bruised and when she lifted her fingers to touch the worse of the two, she sucked in a shaky breath at the pleasure of it. They were so sensitive that she had no doubt the rubbing of the fabric against them would be _torture_. Still, she bit her lip at the memory of Bull sucking and biting at her breasts and started dressing.

She was tying some of the final knots when the tent flap lifted and Bull poked his head in. He grinned when he saw her awake.

"Good, you're up. Was worried I'd have to resort to fingering you awake slowly," Bull purred with a grin, though there was hesitance in his eye as if he were testing the waters.

Katari laughed in return as she tied her hair up with the leather strip, her cheeks flushed with how every movement teased her sore nipples. "You're hardly encouraging me to get up, Bull. In fact, I think I might just go back to sleep..."

Bull chuckled in return. "Oh no, you don't. Leaving at dawn, you said. You haven't even eaten yet and dawn's just gone. Don't tell me that I wore you out that much last night."

Katari rolled her eyes and pushed him from the tent before she followed, standing straight and looking around the camp. The shifts were obviously swapping now that dawn had come and it was busy around, though that didn't stop people from pausing to salute her or bow slightly. She found herself grateful that aside from a tiny, already healing bruise under her jaw, the marks that Bull had left on her were hidden under her clothing, though she was sure her reactions to every movement would give away how sensitive she was though.

"Sorry I'm late," Katari greeted Varric and Solas as she settled at the fire where Varric was leisurely cooking sausages.

"No apology is needed, your highness," Varric greeted with a wide, taunting grin on his face that made her just _know_ he was going to say-- "So, somebody enjoyed themselves last night, huh?"

"Sorry if we kept you up," Katari said with the slightest blush.

"No need. What I would have given to be a fly on _that_ wall, though," Varric hummed thoughtfully.

"Careful, Varric, Bianca might hear you," Katari remarked as she took the plate of sausages and beans from him.

"Nah, Bianca knows I love her. You'd be interested to know just how many scouts snuck off into the woods last night, though. There'll be new tales of wolves running wild in the local area, I'm pretty sure."

Katari snorted in amusement and rolled her eyes. "I wasn't _that_ loud, Varric, shut up."

"It was pretty hot though, boss," Bull grinned as he dropped onto the ground beside the log she was sat on.

"What did you do to her, Bull?" Varric asked with a mixture of awe and disbelief in his voice.

"Well--" Bull started.

"I'd really prefer it if we didn't go into detail, thank you," Solas said with a haughty sniff. 

* * *

The journey through the Crossroads had been quick, only long enough to drop off the supplies and see if the merchant had anything worth buying. The road to Redcliffe led directly from there, which was nice. It meant that they didn't need to go trekking off-road. And it certainly didn't help that by that point, Katari's cheeks were a near-permanent shade of dark grey as the fabric of her armour dragged and teased over her nipples which had come to very obvious points under the material. She found Bull staring at them often.

When the approached the village, Katari was surprised to see a Fade rift in front of the gates which certainly hadn't been there last time they'd passed through the area. She threw down a barrier around them and Bull charged in as the first demons began to spawn. He shouted a taunt and drew them all to him.

Katari prepared a fireball as the demons approached Bull, careful to be fast enough so the barrier wouldn't deteriorate too much by the time it hit them. The despair demons that had surrounded him went down quickly with their weakness to fire, but with every death, the very world around them seemed to fracture and flicker.

When most of the demons and wraiths were either dead or focused on Bull, Katari ran past them to disrupt the rift. The tear exploded like it usually did and she started to lower her arm but then that faceted fracture effect happened and suddenly her arm was still up in the air and the rift exploded again. She stayed by the rift to watch the battlefield and kept her barriers up on Bull as he taunted the demons, the terrors that crawled out of the ground.

When the battle was done, Katari lifted her hand to close the rift and the same thing happened, like a small jump in time.

"Something's wrong," she said immediately as she knelt down to pick through the remains of the rift.

"You're not kidding," Varric grumbled.

"The Veil is thin here, whatever it is, magic is at fault. I imagine we will find out more inside the village. Perhaps Grand Enchanter Fiona will know more," Solas said, as calm as ever.

Varric and Solas led the way into the village as the guards hurried to open the gates for them but Bull didn't follow immediately so Katari waited with him.

"You okay?" she asked in gentle Qunlat, reaching out to touch his wrist lightly.

Bull hummed in response and nodded slightly. "Yeah, just... It's always fucking magic and demons, isn't it? No offence."

"None taken," she said with a smile, taking hold of his wrist to pull him towards the gate. "Come on, I bet you there's a tavern somewhere. Negotiations won't be finished in a day and I'm sure the inn has some rooms spare for the Herald of Andraste and her party."

"You're going to play the Herald card to get whatever you want from them for the rest of your life, aren't you?" Bull grinned as he began to walk beside her instead of being dragged.

"Well of course. What kind of evil little saarebas would I be if I didn't manipulate people?"

Katari released her grip on him and walked to catch up with the others who had stopped to speak to an Inquisition scout.

"No one was expecting you, Herald," the scout said.

Katari frowned. Fiona herself had asked them to come and no one was expecting them in the village? None of this settled the anxiety about the odd rift outside.

"Where's the Grand Enchanter?" she asked and the scout was about to respond before a mage approached, his staff and robes marking him out from the rest.

"Fiona isn't in charge anymore. Magister Alexius is," the mage said. "You can still meet with her for now though, she is the voice of the mages."

"Lead the way," Katari said with a forced smile, though the look she shared with Bull and then Varric made her grateful that they shared her concerns.

The mage led them to the Gull and Lantern and headed inside when Katari asked for a few moments to talk with her party.

"At least there's a tavern," she said with a weak smile. She sighed. "A Magister in Ferelden? And Fiona no longer in charge? Please tell me I'm not the only one this screams slavery to."

"It is incredibly suspicious," Solas agreed, leaning on his staff and staring thoughtfully at the tavern.

"Lets just get this over with, the suspense is killing me," Varric joked weakly.

Bull looked ill but just nodded when her concerned gaze came to rest on him. They headed in, for better or worse. 

* * *

Katari waited for Magister Gereon Alexius to scurry out with his son and Fiona in tow, looking incredibly panicked. Her fist tightened around the note that Felix had shoved into her hand when he'd 'tripped' against her. She opened the paper when she was sure Alexius had left.

"Come to the Chantry, you're in danger," she read aloud for the benefit of the others, though she passed the note to Varric for his opinion.

"That's gotta be a trap," the dwarf snorted.

"Either it's a very well planned one or it isn't," Bull said before he elaborated, "You saw how worried the Magister was when he thought the kid was even slightly ill, how quick he was to get him out of here. Magisters and their sons aren't so well-trained in plotting or executing traps. I say its genuine."

"I agree," Solas said.

"Then let's go."

The chantry was only up the road from the tavern and Katari headed straight there, pausing outside the door to check the others were ready just in case it _was_ a trap. When they nodded, she opened the door wide and headed in, blinking in surprise when she saw a mage whacking some demons with his staff. When they were gone, the mage turned to them with a smile that curled the edges of his fancy moustache.

"Oh, you're here. Shall we close this?" he said, glancing up at the rift.

Katari shared a brief look with Bull when she recognised his accent. Tevinter. Bull returned the look but didn't otherwise respond before he lifted his axe and headed in.

This rift showed the same distortions that the one outside the village had and now that they knew a Magister was in the area, the cause of it was definitely magic. The fight was easier with five, and the strange mage was clearly well-trained as his fireballs outmatched hers by a long shot.

When Katari closed the rift, she turned to the mage as he watched her curiously, leaning on his staff though it was clearly for aesthetic than any real need.

"That really is rather fascinating. I bet you don't even know how it works. Not that I'm any the wiser," the mage said with a quirk of a smile.

Definitely Tevinter, Katari thought. "And who are you then? We were expecting Felix."

"Ah, my apologies." The mage stowed his staff away and bowed ever so slightly. "Dorian Pavus, until recently of Minrathous."

"Boss--" Bull started before Katari pinned him with a look and he nodded subtly.

"Felix was to pass along the note and then meet us here. Alexius was once my patron, mentor and friend. I will be able to help you in stopping his lunacy," Dorian said, with a hint of regret in his voice.

"Alexius seemed very concerned about Felix," Katari noted.

Dorian hummed slightly. "Some lingering illness. With no more children and his wife dead, Alexius has no one else to fuss over." He sighed slightly. "I sent you the note because someone had to warn you. It's all very suspicious, yes? You arrive in Redcliffe just as Alexius claims the allegiance of the rebels. Alexius distorted time itself to get here before you did."

"Hate to say it, fireball, but you've got worse luck than Hawke," Varric huffed.

"The rift here and outside the gate then, that's why they were different than the others," Katari remarked, looking to Solas for any input but he merely shrugged. "Do you have any proof of this?"

"Look," Dorian said, crossing his arms in front of him. "I know I'm asking you to believe a lot here but this is magic that I helped to develop, though it was purely theoretical at the time."

"Why do it at all?" Katari asked. "There are easier and less destructive ways of gaining a few hundred followers, especially in Tevinter, I'm sure."

Dorian looked slightly uncomfortable and appeared very grateful when Felix arrived, coming to stand beside Dorian.

"He didn't do it to get the mages. He did it to get to _you_ under orders of the Venatori, some cult of Tevinter supremacists," Felix said.

"That explains the sudden rise in numbers of Tevinter 'mercenaries' all across Ferelden. Like on the Coast, Bull," Katari said, turning her head to look at him.

"My superiors ain't gonna like this, boss," Bull said.

"They need to know," Katari said, taking his words for the request for permission that they really were. "But why are they after me at all?"

"You can close the rifts," Dorian suggested, gesturing to the one they'd just dealt with. "You survived the Temple of Sacred Ashes. You're a threat to their evil plan. It could be any number of reasons. Whatever it is, you now know for certain that whatever negotiations he wants to have is a trap, and that means you can plan for it. I can't stay, Alexius doesn't know I'm here. I want to be there when you deal with him. I may be able to help talk him out of this madness. I'll be in touch, Herald."

Katari watched Dorian and Felix walk away, waiting for the doors to shut behind them before she spoke.

"Thoughts?" she asked, though her eyes rested on Bull and the others knew it.

"He's the same age as the kid, Felix, maybe a bit older. He's not a Magister, which means he's an Altus. Potentially more dangerous," Bull grumbled.

"How's that?" Varric asked.

"Magisters are bound by public opinion as much as their oaths to the Magisterium. An Altus? Unlimited funds, powerful allies, lots of connections, somewhere to escape to and practically free reign? I'll put in a request for info about the Pavus family and why this one is so far south without a retinue. Anything else, boss?"

"See if you can get the Ben-Hassrath to share any information about increased Tevinter movements. I'll talk to Josephine about asking any nobles along the border if they've heard anything or had unknown forces crossing through their lands. Something will come up. I want to be prepared before we face them," Katari said with a frown. "And if Pavus shows up in Haven, let me know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprisingly no Qunlat! 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed ^^


	8. Back in Haven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katari and co return to Haven. There are secret war meetings and Bull follows Katari back to hers for a little meeting of their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was going to be a lot longer but then it got later and my wrists started hurting so I thought I'd cut it here and taunt you all a bit ;)

The return trip to Haven was busy with letters to and from Leliana back in Haven. Several ravens a day were sent in each direction as the matter of Magister Alexius and his conscription of the rebel mages. Katari wasn't happy and she wished they could do more than discuss the possibilities and what it meant for the village and its people. 

It took only a few days like usual, though deep snowdrifts slowed the party in the final stretch. Bull didn't make any more moves for the journey back but that didn't bother Katari in the slightest; Qunari didn't sleep with their friends or their commanding officers. They went to a Tamassran and that was something Katari most certainly wasn't. What had happened in the tent may have been a one-time thing or it might be that Bull was giving her space or going through a bit of a culture shock. Whatever the cause, as long as he kept making shitty jokes and chatting with Varric, she wasn't worried about him too much. 

When Haven finally came into view, it felt like a weight had lifted off the whole group with the promise of decent food and a cot if not a real bed. Either was miles better than the cold hard ground even in a tent. It was dark and the guard had increased for it, the training soldiers returning to the village or their tents. Leliana was waiting at the gate for them, even if it was night time. Katari doubted the woman ever slept. She waved the others through the gates, although Bull lingered. 

"Adaar," Leliana greeted with a slight bow. Katari smiled in greeting, ever grateful for the fact that their Spymaster understood just how much the title bothered her. "I thought it best not to leave our debriefing till morning. It isn't yet too late for it to be considered ridiculous."

Katari nodded in agreement. "Are the others waiting too?" she asked, gesturing for Leliana to lead the way into the village. 

"Just Josephine. Cullen is asleep," Leliana said, looking over Bull slowly before she turned and led the way. 

"By the Ashkaari, how did you manage that? What did you drug him with?" Katari asked with genuine disbelief. Was Cullen alright? The man often refused to rest at all, let alone when others were still working. She hoped the withdrawal wasn't becoming too much for him. 

"I merely asked Cremissius to spar with him," the Spymaster answered with the slightest quirk of a smile on her face. 

Bull snorted behind her where he was following her. "Bet that shocked your dear Commander."

Leliana just hummed in response. They wound their way through the village and entered the Chantry as quietly as they could. The building was... silent. Dead. It was something that Katari hadn't expected. Even that blasted Mother Giselle wasn't around to hound her into listening to Chantry nonsense or Inquisition history. She was also surprised - unnecessarily so - by how quiet Bull was behind her. She could barely hear the swish of his trousers, let alone the sound of his boots. And he probably wasn't even trying to remain quiet. 

As they approached the war room, Josephine came out of the open door of her office. She'd clearly been watching for their approach. 

"Herald," Josephine said with a little curtsy. "Your reports of Redcliffe were most worrying."

Katari didn't reply until they'd entered the war room and shut the door behind them. She'd never realised just how small the room was before. Or maybe it wasn't small and just seemed that way with a massive qunari beside her. 

"It was... an interesting trip, to say the very least," Katari said. 

"And this mage you met, Dorian Pavus? Did he show you his birthright?" Josie asked. 

"I wasn't aware he had to," Katari said with a raised eyebrow. "He had a Tevinter accent, Tevinter clothes and the nobility on him was as obvious as the horns on my head. Bull reckons Altus as opposed to Magister. I assume you have information on the family."

"I do, and Bull is correct. Dorian is the first and only son of Halward Pavus, a Magister out of Qarinus," Josephine explained. "As for why the only son of one of the founding Houses of the Tevinter Imperium is anywhere outside of the borders without a full guard, I don't know." She looked to Leliana expectantly. 

"I found some things but not a lot and not concrete. From the rumour and hearsay, the Pavus boy was always a bit... wild," Leliana said with a carefully crafted tone. "Bacchanalias, orgies, brothels, bars, if there was something that could be described as _remotely_ rebellious and indecent, that's where you'd find him. From the news, I can only guess at why he's so far south."

"He'll show up soon," Bull said without looking up from where his eye was settled on the map of Thedas on the wall. "Bet you it's the most conspicuous and extravagant entrance anybody could make. He seems the type. I have contacts in Minrathous, I'll see if they can dig up any more news or gossip."

"Thank you," Katari said with a slight smile in his direction. 

"I also wanted to discuss the... time magic that you mentioned, without Cullen present," Leliana said, glancing at the door as if to double-check that Cullen wasn't standing there and listening in. "We all know what he's like with even the slightest mention of magic, though I don't blame him. But if he hears of this, he will demand that we give up with the mages and go and get the Templars to close the Breach."

"That's what he wants?" Bull asked with a wrinkle between his brows. "Is that even possible? Mages have magic and shit, what's a Templar gonna do? Smite and Silence the Breach into submission?" 

"I understand his desire to go and save the Templars while also getting their help, but there really is nothing to suggest they can help with what we need and we don't have the time or resources to mount a rescue mission on a whole fortress," Katari sighed, lifting her hands to rub at her eyes. She adored Cullen, she did, but sometimes the man needed to take a step back and breathe so he could see the bigger picture. 

"We agree on that, Herald," Josephine said. 

"For now I think it will be best if we leave mention of the time magic out of official reports," Leliana said. "What is spoken now is between us. Adaar, if you could also inform those that went with you not to mention this to anyone else."

"Even Varric will understand the need for secrecy," Katari agreed with a nod. 

The meeting wore on as they discussed their next step regarding the magic and what safeguards to set in place against it. 

"I doubt it will be more than a few weeks before Alexius makes his next move," Leliana said. "As it is, we know why we didn't hear anything from the Arl; he's either been killed or run off into poverty. I will contact the King and see if he's heard from him; Teagan is his uncle after all."

Katari nodded. "Let me know what he says? If we can find him then he may be able to help. Provided he hasn't been killed or locked away in the dungeon."

With that Katari said goodnight and left, Bull close behind on her heels. 

"Boss," Bull said, touching her wrist as he came to walk beside her. "You good?"

"I'm fine. It's just... Well, Cullen is a friend. I don't exactly want to keep secrets from him but it's what we need to do so we can proceed. It _is_ the right thing, isn't it?"

"I can't answer that," Bull said with a shrug. "It's the safest thing, yeah, but right? Right is all about a wavy line in the sand that some blind guy drew with a stick."

Katari laughed softly, shaking her head ever so slightly. "Nice imagery."

"It's a gift."

"So, are you lingering in the hopes that I'll invite you to my bed?" Katari asked as he pulled open the chantry door for her. 

Bull snorted in amusement. "Would I do that?"

"I'm pretty sure, yeah." Katari grinned. 

"Is it working?"

"It might be."

Neither of them said anything as they walked back through the village to Katari's little house. Neither of them said anything as Katari held the front door open in invitation. Neither of them said anything as Bull entered as slowly shut the door behind him. 

Bull leaned down to kiss her slowly, giving her plenty of time to pull away but she didn't, standing resolute and determined, looking up at him as if in demand. She saw the quirk of a grin on his lips before they were pressing against hers and she sighed against him happily, kissing him back and lifting a hand to his cheek. The usual stubble had become longer in the few days they'd been away and it wasn't scratchy anymore, just rough under her fingers and a part of her missed the slight pain of his kisses. 

Katari jumped slightly when she felt Bull's hand take hers gently before he lifted the other to his shoulder and she let her arm curl around his neck to pull him closer to her. Bull's big hands began to move behind her, working unseen until she felt the weight of her staff lift from her and he pulled away from her lips briefly to set it down. He also removed his axe, putting it down with much less care than he'd taken when handling her things. 

Now free of their weapons, they both moved much easier, more fluidly, as they came back together with more demand this time. Katari didn't hesitate as she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled Bull down to meet her so she didn't have to lift herself up as much. Bull growled softly at the display, though it was a sound of pleasure that made her smirk slightly. 

Their kisses were much more intense, more demanding, more... Just _more_. Every graze of his fingers against her skin, every brush of his almost-beard against her face, every press of skin against skin, it was maddening. 

Katari moaned softly at the feeling of Bull's tongue sliding over hers, desire pooling under her skin like water. She shivered when he flicked his tongue over the roof of her mouth and pulled her closer with his hands on her hips. His hands were so big and strong as they guided the inadvertent movements of her hips when she jerked against him slightly. 

"Bull--" Katari sighed on a breath, the word barely more than a whisper against his lips. "I--"

"What do you need, ataashi?" Bull purred, pulling away from her lips to nudge up her chin in order to bury his face in her throat. "What do you want?"

She warred with herself over the decision. She wanted... _everything_ he would give her. Everything that he would let her take. Katari grabbed his horn and pulled so she could comfortably whisper in his ear and if she had to pause to comprehend the noise that Bull made at the action, it was only to deepen the effect, she told herself. 

"I want you to get undressed and lie down on my bed," Katari whispered in Qunlat, not releasing his horn at first. She let her hand slide down to the base of it against his scalp where she rubbed her thumb against his sensitive skin and loved the quiet sound of his sharp inhale. "I want you naked on top of my sheets so I can look at you. All of you..."

Katari pressed her hips against his to emphasise her point and also to feel his cock against her. His hands tightened on her hip as she did so but she just bit at the pointed edge of his ear before she released him and stood there expectantly with a raised eyebrow. 

When Bull didn't respond to his release immediately, Katari pushed him slightly in the direction of her little bedroom. This time he moved, turning and walking into his as he stripped quickly - not that there was a lot to remove. His chest harness was gone first, dropped carelessly to the floor. Bull's hands were on his belt when he turned around to face her again, his eye dark with desire as he undressed completely in front of her. 

Katari hadn't moved from where she'd stood, arms crossed loosely in front of her as she watched Bull. He dropped his trousers and leaned down to unlace his boots before he stepped out of them and started to undo some closings on a metal contraption around his leg that Katari had only glimpsed before now. She didn't question it and didn't pity him; Bull was a warrior and carried the scars that went with it. She admired him for it, the strength of body and will in him. When he paused at the hem of his smalls, Katari merely raised an eyebrow again in challenge. Would he defy her? He seemed to be enjoying their game if the thick bulge in those smalls was anything to go by. 

Bull grinned and dropped them. 

Oh... fuck. Katari couldn't help the way her eyes widened and her crossed arms slackened slightly at the sheer size of him. She'd known he was big; the broadness of his shoulders and the thick muscle of every part of him didn't come with a small package. Or even a reasonable package. She'd felt him pressed against her before but feeling it was so different to actually seeing it and she had to swallow in anticipation. 

Drawing up her confidence, Katari raised her eyebrow again and stood a little straighter. "Aren't you missing something, Bull? There was more to my instructions, after all."

The small smirk on his face told her that he'd noticed her reaction but he complied anyway, moving to her bed and laying down on it, stretching out languidly. Katari approached with a soft hum, standing beside the bed and slowly undoing the ropes of her armour, letting the fabric fall. When she slipped out of her trousers and took her smalls with it, Bull took hold of his cock and started stroking steadily, his eyes roving over her body in a way that made her shiver even as she leaned down and grabbed his wrist, smirking slightly as she pulled his hand away from his cock. 

"I didn't say you could do that, did I?" she asked, tutting softly. She leaned down to kiss him firmly, still holding his wrist. "Tell me if you want me to stop," she whispered against his lips, waiting for his nod before she slipped onto the bed and settled between his legs. 

Katari released Bull and placed her hands on the insides of his thighs, feeling the oddly smooth skin when compared with the rest of him. 

"What are you goin' to do, boss?" Bull asked with a rumble of impatience in his voice. 

"I'm deciding," she said with a grin, brushing her fingers over his hips and up to the planes of his stomach, a thin layer of fat padding the thick muscle under his skin. "I think I want to return the favour you gave me the other night..." She let her fingers trail down and stroke leisurely down the length of his cock in a featherlight touch that made his hips jerk slightly in surprise. "What do you say to that, Bull?" 

Bull took a deep breath, obviously trying to stop himself from jerking up against her hand. "I say, 'whatever you want, boss'."

"Good answer," she grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ashkaari - 'one who seeks, one who thinks'. The title used by Koslun, founder of the Qun i.e. Ashkaari Koslun
> 
> I absolutely adore the first romance (sex) scene between the Inquisitor and Bull but Katari's first time with him? She's definitely in charge and he loves it.


	9. A Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katari decides to enjoy having Bull underneath her. It's not bad for Bull, either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was haaaard (No pun intended >.>) Sorry for the wait, but I hope you enjoy anyway!

Bull was such a sight on the bed that Katari was almost tempted to pick up the ropes of her antaam-saar and tie him to it. She was under no illusion that he wouldn't be able to snap the ropes with a flex of his muscles and that did something to her. Despite that, she decided against the idea and settled against him a little more firmly, letting her weight rest on his thighs. Her long fingers continued to toy over the sensitive skin of his cock and she enjoyed the slow breaths he was taking as he tried not to respond.

Katari chuckled, grinning down at Bull. "Am I cruel to you, Bull? I've got you here underneath me, are you not scared of what a saarebas can do?" she asked with a slight purr as she wrapped her hand more fully around him.

"No," Bull said quietly, the words wrapping around the air between them as she paused in surprise. Bull had made no secret of his dislike of magic and mages, yet he was openly admitting he wasn't afraid of her. Thankfully, he decided to elaborate, "You're strong, saarebas. You control your power well. I trust you."

Katari had to pause. He _trusted_ her. They'd only known each other a few weeks and knew very little about each other aside from the fact they'd both been born under the Qun and he should by all rights kill her for being Tal-Vashoth.

"You losing your nerve, boss?" Bull asked, bringing the mood back from the near sentimental edge it had taken. He grinned slightly, breath faltering ever so slightly when she wrapped her hand around his cock firmly, squeezing just a little.

"Parshaara," Katari said, sliding her hand down to grip his balls in her hand, rolling them between her fingers slowly. "You can be quiet for me, can't you?"

"Yes, Tama," Bull said, obviously not quite managing to fully stifle his grin.

"Oh?" she asked with a grin of her own. "You need a Tamassran, Bull? I suppose I could help with that, if you asked nicely..."

"Please," he said without hesitation and she smiled, moving off his thighs to settle between his knees so she didn't put any pressure on the knee that he limped with.

Sitting between his thighs, Katari wished to feel his skin pressed against hers but to undress she would have to move and she found herself quite enjoying the difference in their states, with him completely bare underneath her. She leaned down and pressed her face to the curls of his pubic hair, breathing in deeply with a happy hum. The scent of him was so strong here, the thick, musky scent that reminded her of power and sent heat rushing through her.

She tugged gently at his balls before she wrapped her hand around his cock, enjoying the fact that her fingers barely touched around the girth of him. It was enjoyable but... frightened her in a way that was completely at odds with the tight need that settled between her legs.

The slow stroking of his cock as she breathed in his scent made Bull lift his hips a little in a silent request for more. Katari grinned against his skin and gave him what he wanted, tightening her grip a little and speeding up her movements. The twist of her wrist over the head of his cock had him inhaling sharply so she repeated the movement every few strokes, allowing him to jerk up into her grip ever so slightly.

"Your hands are soft..." Bull sighed in pleasure, letting his eye close.

Katari grinned and turned her head to press a kiss to the sensitive skin of his erection. She chuckled when he swore softly and pushed his head a little further back into the pillow. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Nah, it's cute. Tamas always have soft hands. Maybe they should have ignored the fact you were a mage," Bull said with a grin on his face that disappeared into a groan when she licked slowly up the length of him.

"And put the whole antaam at risk? Why, Bull, I never knew you could be so reckless," she said, though she knew he was joking. "Now, stop talking and let me play."

"Yes, Tama," Bull breathed as he relaxed into the mattress, tensing with a quiet noise when she flicked her tongue over the tip of his cock, tasting the hint of fluid that had beaded there.

Katari didn't speak as she left long licks all over the length of him, letting her eyes close as she just tasted him and listened to his noises and smelled his arousal. Eventually, when his hips jerked up a little too far off the mattress, she set a hand on his waist to remind him silently to stay still. With that, Katari wrapped her lips around the tip of him and sucked softly before she started to push down onto him. The stretch in her lips and jaw would ache delightfully later but she just enjoyed the moment, the sounds of pleasure and desire that Bull made.

"Tama?" Bull asked quietly as if unsure his words would be welcome.

"What is it?" Katari asked after she pulled off him and rubbed her cheek over his damp erection, looking up at him with a reassuring smile.

"I'd like to be inside you tonight," he said with a hesitation that seemed out of character. Whether this submission was genuine or crafted for her, Katari wasn't sure but found that she didn't mind either way. He fell back into Qunlat and they both relaxed a little, releasing tension she hadn't realised she'd been carrying. "I want to knot you and give you pleasure."

"I'm not taking anything to prevent pregnancy," Katari said, though the argument was weak. They both knew the apothecary would have potions she could take in the morning to eliminate any chance of conception. Even if her biology worked differently than a human's or an elf's, the potion would still work.

"Adan has potions if that's your only concern," Bull said. "If you don't want me inside you then there are other ways I can make you feel good if you want that."

"What else would you do to me?" Katari asked, curiosity and want in her voice in equal measure. She returned to sucking gently at the tip of his cock as she waited for him to speak.

"You could straddle my face and I could eat you out, lick into you like I did in that tent, or I could do it to you on your back," Bull said with a groan, arching slightly as he lost his composure again. "You could command me to finger you open slowly until you came, or I could play with those beautiful tits of yours... Vashedan, I want to see you. Can I see you?"

Katari grinned at his request, partially in amusement but mostly to hide the tremors of arousal running through her body and making her wet inside her trousers. She left one final kiss on the tip of Bull's cock and pulled back to undo the knots of her antaam-saar and throw them along with the fabric to the floor. Her fingers quickly undid the knots around her hips and then the laces of her trousers, kicking them off awkwardly with her smalls tangled up in them. Her socks went after that and then she was naked, skin pressed against Bull's.

Bull had lifted his head up to watch her undress and he growled slightly, holding a hand out to her that she took automatically and found herself being encouraged up to lie against him, chest to chest. Bull wrapped his arm around her shoulders to hold her close as he leaned in to press a deep kiss to her mouth, licking between her lips for entrance that she gave without complaint. One of his big hands grabbed at her breast and squeezed roughly, making her whimper into his mouth and when he pinched her nipple she gasped, arching her spine to press closer for more.

"Sorry, this wasn't how you wanted to play tonight, was it?" Bull asked, pulling back a little.

"It's fine. I can be your Tama some other day if that's what you want," Katari said with a quiet laugh that turned into a gasp when he slipped his hand between her legs and they both moaned softly at the touch.

"Fuck, you're so _wet_..." Bull groaned, rubbing over her cunt slowly without entering her, neglectful of her clit.

"I'm sorry, I--" she gasped automatically, only for Bull to cut her off.

"'Sorry'? Ataashi, this is so fucking hot. By Koslun, I could drown in you with how wet you are... I _want_ to drown in you. What a fucking way to go," Bull grinned against her lips.

Katari blushed and smiled, spreading her legs a little wider for him when he pressed his hand forward for more, his thick middle finger pushing into her with ease. Katari couldn't help the way she clenched around him, her soft sound of arousal escaping her lips before she could clamp them shut.

"Turn around and sit on my face, Katari, let me taste you," Bull purred against her ear, licking over the point of it as he slowly withdrew his finger from her.

Katari took hold of Bull's hand again when he offered it to her and he manoeuvred her so her knees were planted in the mattress either side of his head, his horns brushing against the soles of her feet.

"Ride my face, saarebas," Bull said as he leaned up for his tongue to dart out and collect some of the moisture that made her skin shine. "Use me, Tama, let me make you feel good."

Swallowing hard with anticipation and desire, Katari lowered herself a little more before Bull reached up to grab her thighs and pull her almost fully onto his face. She gasped in surprise, hands flying to his chest to support herself despite the fact that almost all of her weight had to be on Bull. He tilted his chin up and her body jolted as a shocked moan spilled out of her mouth; Bull's rough stubble grazed her clit and he chuckled at her reaction, reaching out with his tongue to soothe it. She whined, her fingers curling into Bull's skin, her nails digging in when he pushed his tongue into her. The angle and the way she was resting on him made her sink further onto his tongue and all she could do was gasp raggedly, body trembling.

"Bull--" Katari sighed, her high-pitched noises near continuous as he pleasured her.

Bull didn't respond save for the way he sucked on her clit. Katari forced her eyes open, unsure of when they'd closed, and she saw his cock. She reached out to hold it, stroking steadily for a few moments before she leaned forward to lick at him again. Bull's hips jerked slightly in surprise but he hummed in approval, showing his appreciation with another rub of her clit with his stubble.

The angle didn't give Katari much room for manoeuvring but she could make do. She took him into her mouth and sucked firmly, circling her tongue around the head a moment before Bull did the same to her clit and she moaned against him, panting as he took him a little deeper. She worked the top of him with her mouth and the rest of him with her hand; she didn't want to push herself too far, certainly not in this position.

Katari had never experienced this before and as much as she enjoyed having a cock in her mouth, the feeling of it combined with a rough qunari tongue inside her cunt undid her. Bull pushed his tongue inside her as far as he could before he drew it back with a curl that made her tremble.

"Bull..." Katari moaned, having to pause to rest her head on his thigh though she kept up the stroking of his cock as she caught her breath.

"You close, Tama?" Bull asked. The words were slightly muffled against her skin and the feeling of his breath against her core made her shudder.

She moaned softly, her thighs trembling. That same building feeling that she'd felt in the tent was coming up inside her. It made her breathless, made her want to cry out for more. She might have been, for all the sense she had in her.

"Will you come for me, Tama? Let me feel you come around my tongue," Bull said before he pushed the thick muscle of his tongue back into her. Quick thrusts of it in and out of her made her gasp for breath and noise spill from her mouth.

"Bull-- I--" Katari whined, giving up completely with her attempts to pleasure him and instead focusing on the feeling of that build inside her belly.

Her cunt clenched around him, the tightness in her stomach winding and winding until it exploded inside her and Katari cried out in pleasure, arching and pressing her face into Bull's thigh as he worked her through the waves of it until the pleasure was just a low thrum that settled underneath her skin.

Katari realised that she was panting and shaking on top of Bull, and he was still licking her wetness from her outer lips with a happy hum.

"You taste fucking good, ataashi," Bull chuckled, squeezing her thighs gently to make sure he had her attention. "You good?"

"I'm broken," Katari laughed, groaning into his skin.

Bull chuckled and nudged her. "Sit up. I haven't even fucked you yet. You want that?"

"Will you knot me?" she asked, curiosity and anxiety mixing in her voice as she shakily sat up.

"You never been knotted before?"

Bull helped her off his face and held her hand as she turned around to settle in his lap. She had to pause before she replied, the sight of Bull's mouth glistening with her wetness making her body flutter in arousal again.

"No," she said after a few long moments that made Bull grin.

Big hands moved to her hips, thumbs rubbing over some of her stretch marks.

"Don't have to. Don't have to fuck you."

"I want you inside me," Katari said determinedly as she moved a little to get settled and comfortable in his lap, only to realise that his hard cock was pressing against the still-wet folds of her cunt. She hesitated before she started to roll her hips, rubbing her heat over the length of him. "I want you. I can-- Can you make me do... _that_ again?" She blushed softly.

Bull chuckled, though the sound of it was taut with arousal until he gripped her hips tightly to get her to stop the rocking of her hips. "Make you come again? Most ladies can. And I'm going to do my damnedest. Lets get you all wet again, hm? You keep moving like that and let me play with your tits, gorgeous things that they are."

He released her hips and moved his hands to her breasts, squeezing them briefly to make her inhale sharply before she started her movements again. Katari's hands settled on Bull's stomach, fingers dragging over the defined lines of his muscles. He pinched her nipples in turn and her nails pressed into his skin as she moaned softly.

It was difficult to keep up any sensible rhythm with how Bull kept plucking at her nipples and squeezing her breasts. His eye was pinned to the way his actions and were movements came together to make them move and her nipples tighten with desire.

"Bull," Katari gasped, one of her hands moving to the apex of her thighs to play with her clit slowly.

Bull growled deep in his throat at the sight and squeezed her tits hard before he released them. "Koslun, how fast you get wet is real fuckin' hot," he said. "You ready? You want to ride me, Katari? Use me, Tama..."

Katari found that she couldn't deny just how much it aroused her for him to call her 'tama' but she just nodded and lifted herself up so he could position his cock underneath her for her to just sink down onto when she was ready.

Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, Katari moved down, biting her lip when she felt the tip of him against her folds. She enjoyed the feeling for a moment before she pressed down further, gasping as he popped past the slight resistance of her entrance and filled her so fully that she could do no more than just gasp and let her head fall back on her neck. Her long braid tickled her back and her horns scraped lightly over her shoulders.

He was so thick and long that there was no inch of her cunt that didn't feel wonderfully stretched. The slightest twitch of her muscles, the tiniest movement and she was reminded again just how _big_ he was. After a few long moments as the room slowed its spinning from pleasure, Katari reached up and undid the tag holding her hair up, dropping the leather tie somewhere.

"That good, Tama?" Bull asked her, his voice tight as his hands settled on her hips and Katari had no doubt there would be Bull-shaped bruises on her waist in the morning.

"Yeah..." she sighed, rolling her hips a little to appreciate it.

"Good... You're so tight around me, so hot and wet. Fuck..." Bull groaned, arching slightly and the move only pushed him further into her and she whined in pleasure. "Ride me, Tama. I'm yours."

Katari finally felt strong enough to do exactly that; she lifted herself up an inch or two before she dropped down again slowly. Starting slow was probably the best thing with the sheer size of him and she moaned as she continued the steady build of speed and height. Every time she took him into her, she lifted a little higher, dropped a little faster until she was riding him with fervour.

Her moans were met by his now, mixing with his quiet grunts of effort when he fucked up hard into her just as she dropped, pushing loud groans and whimpers out of her. There was no doubt in her mind - what little of it was still coherent - that people would know exactly what they were doing. At the very least, the people in the surrounding houses, but word would spread. Katari didn't care.

"Bull!" Katari moaned loudly.

His fingers moved to her clit and pinched the hypersensitive bundle of nerves and she screamed in a mix of pain and pleasure, a sob escaping her as she felt so incredibly over-sensitive.

"Not gonna last, Tama. Will you come for me?" Bull asked, voice strained with pleasure.

Katari nodded slightly as she finally gave herself completely to the orgasm building inside of her and she shattered, a loud broken moan tearing out of her as she clamped down on him. Bull growled and tightened his grip on her hips.

"Can I knot you, Katari?" Bull asked.

Katari nodded, noticing the swell of his knot at the base of his cock as she continued to ride him, slowing her movements as exhaustion took over her and she panted desperately. Bull took over most of the moving, using the bounce of the mattress to fuck her in rhythmic thrusts

His knot swelled further and he pushed into her as far as he could before he finished inside her with a low groan and they were locked together. Katari shuddered happily as she settled on the thickness of his cock, feeling every inch of it pressing against her walls.

"That good for you?" Bull asked her with a lazy grin.

"Yeah," Katari laughed slightly. "Yeah, that was good. And for you?"

"Damn, yeah. No idea how I lasted as long as I did," he chuckled, encouraging her down to rest her head on his shoulder. "Very good... We won't be here for too long, maybe twenty minutes, and then I'll head off and leave you to rest."

"Or--" Katari said quickly, too quickly. "You could... stay here for the night. I know the bed isn't exactly big enough for the both of us but I could lie here on top of you..."

Bull studied her face for a few moments and Katari fidgeted slightly, gasping when it pulled on where they were joined between her legs. Eventually he seemed to find what he was looking for and he nodded.

"Alright, so long as that's what you want. Means I get to look after you for a bit longer," he said with a smile.

Katari leaned up a little more to press their lips together. She sighed happily when Bull tangled his hand in her hair, stroking through it slowly.

"You got gorgeous hair. And gorgeous horns," Bull said, stroking along the curl of her horn with his other hand.

Blushing a bit, Katari rested her head on his shoulder so that those 'gorgeous' horns of hers wouldn't scratch his face in their sleep. It wasn't especially comfortable but she would live. Bull tugged her so that her face was pressed into his neck with a quiet grumble that made her smile. She could feel her horns bumping the line of his jaw and went to move a little before he tightened his hand in her hair.

"Lie still, you're fine. Get comfy," Bull said.

Katari was quiet for a few minutes, just enjoying Bull's scent and the silence between them, their breathing and his hand stroking through her hair the only noises, and they were incredibly quiet.

"Do you like it when someone plays your tama?" she asked eventually, quietly in case he had fallen asleep.

"Not always. Depends who with. Don't often like playing with shit like that from back home with someone who's never been under the Qun. Limits the pool greatly," Bull said with humour in his tone. "Usually I'm the one in charge but it can be just as fun to sit back and let a beautiful woman use you for her own pleasure."

Bull laughed as Katari blushed pink and pressed her face further into his neck to hide despite the fact he couldn't see her anyway.

"You wanna try that someday?" he asked, moving his hand from her hair to her back and stroking along her spine slowly. "Me being in charge? You need some way to relax from the title of Herald. Even if it is a shit one, it's one they've given you. I'm happy to help you relieve the tension that leaves you with."

"How would you do that?" she said curiously with some hesitation.

"Well, that depends what you like and how far you want to take it," Bull explained. "I could just bind your wrists and tell you what to do, but some people like being unable to move and to just be used, hurt, whatever I want."

"I--" She swallowed hard. "I don't know. I don't know if I would like it to hurt. Not-- Not a lot, maybe. I don't know."

"That's alright," he reassured. "We don't need to do anything like that but we can talk about it some other time. If you're interested, have a think about things you definitely don't want me to do to you and what you'd like. If you don't have a clue, we can go through it together. And if you ever don't like anything, want a break or want to stop, you can say 'katoh' and I'll stop, no questions asked."

Katari just nodded and closed her eyes. For a long time, she tried to think about what kinds of things she would want Bull would do to her, but she was drawing a blank.

After a while, she felt herself stir as Bull moved underneath her and she hadn't even been aware that she'd dozed off. She must have made a soft noise in question because Bull was shushing her gently.

"Just pulling out of you, ataashi, go back to sleep, I've got you," he said quietly, stroking her hair again.

She made another noise as she drifted off again, enjoying the heat of his body against hers.


	10. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after Katari and Bull's first night in a bed starts off great. Doesn't really continue that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was talking about ages with my friend last night and decided that Katari is probably very early twenties. Then I was thinking about Bull, who I always put at early forties. And then I considered the age difference. Woops! Bull is potentially double Katari's age, but what can you do ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> The latter part of this chapter also as the alternate title of 'Angry Katari is Angry'

Katari woke slowly. Usually she was up at the crack of dawn by habit but as she slowly opened her eyes, she frowned at the amount of light flooding in through the windows she hadn’t drawn the curtains on last night. She wondered how many people decided to have a peak at the mighty Herald and the Iron Bull. They hadn’t exactly been quiet. She huffed a soft laugh and turned her face to press it into Bull’s neck again, glad that he had stayed in the end.

“You stayed,” Katari said. She didn’t like how obvious the relief in her voice was but Bull didn’t comment as he chuckled and draped an arm over her back to hold her close.

“Couldn’t have left even if I wanted to; would have woken you and we can’t be having that, can we?” Bull grinned. “You sleep alright?”

Katari hummed, kissing his throat absentmindedly. “Yeah. You? What time is it?”

“Ridiculously well for somewhere I’ve never slept before. Looks to be about midmorning,” he said, stroking along the curl of her horn again. “You got any plans for the day?”

“Apart from the official debriefing about what happened in Redcliffe, nothing. I was thinking about going for a walk in the woods and writing home later. I’ll ask for some extra horn balm and vitaar. You got a preference for either?”

“Nah, I’m good. You don’t need to do that but thanks. Anyway, I was goin’ to ask if you wanted to come out the village and train with my boys and me.”

“Bull, are you saying that my combat skills leave something to be desired?” Katari asked, sitting up with a wounded gasp and trying to clamp down on her grin.

Bull laughed and sat up, wrapping his arms around her. “Would I do such a thing? I’ll get your clothes. What do you want to wear today?” He lifted her off his lap and stood from the bed, stretching.

“Well, if I’m training with you then I’ll need my armour, won’t I? I’ve got sets that aren’t stained with blood in the drawer.”

Bull nodded and went to her dresser, opening the right drawer first time. He barked a surprised laugh. “Ataashi, think of the fun we could have with all this rope!” he grinned.

Katari laughed and rolled her eyes, lying down on the bed on her side so she could watch him. “Oh yeah?”

“Speaking of fun… how are you feeling? Sore?” Bull asked, his grin more lascivious now.

“’Sore’? Oh, Bull…” Katari said, lifting her leg so she could drag her fingers slowly over her cunt, still slightly damp with leftover slick and his seed. There was a twinge of aching but that was all. “If you want to make me sore, you’ll have to try a lot harder than that.”

Bull stopped what he was doing, staring at her darkly. He toyed with the rope in his hands in a way that suddenly made her breath hitch.

“Is that right?” he asked lazily. “If you’re not careful I’ll come over there and show you exactly what I’m capable of.”

Katari raised an eyebrow in challenge and kept touching herself slowly. She let one finger sink inside her briefly and then Bull was growling and striding towards her. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from her cunt while he dragged her off the bed, pinning her wrists behind her back in one smooth motion that made her whimper in surprise. She looked up at him, his height suddenly so wonderfully intimidating. He’d pressed them so close together that she could feel every inch of him.

“Do you want to try that again?” he growled. “Playing a dangerous game, ataashi.”

Katari smirked and summoned her magic to blow a soft stream of smoke into Bull’s face, like a dragon ready to spew fire. The growl that it drew from Bull was deep and loud, his teeth bared and his eye dark with arousal. His cock was hardening rapidly where it was pressed against her so she did it again with a growl of her own.

Something in Bull snapped at that and Katari found herself being spun around quickly. One of Bull’s large hands held both her wrists easily and he grabbed her hair with the other, pulling hard to make her bend back against him. Katari whimpered in desire, her knees weak and--

“Katari!” somebody shouted before the door burst open and Bull released her suddenly.

With Bull’s support gone, Katari fell, catching herself on the bed. There was the noise of a sword being drawn that made her turn as quickly as she could.

“ _Cullen_?” she said incredulously when she saw Cullen standing in the middle of her little house with his sword in his hand, glaring at Bull who could do no more than stand there in shock.

“It’s okay, Katari. I shall have this traitor removed at once,” Cullen growled.

“ _What_?” she asked, standing shakily as she tried to comprehend what Cullen was talking about. “How is Bull a traitor?”

The look Cullen gave her was disbelieving, as if she was a foolish child who didn’t understand what was going on around her. “He was hurting you, he was pulling on your hair. I felt you use your magic against him.”

“What-- Oh. _Oh_ ,” Katari said before she laughed, burying her face in her hands for a few moments. “Vashedan, no, Cullen, Bull was-- He wasn’t hurting me. I didn’t use my magic in self-defence.”

“But then why…” he started. Then he seemed to really look at them and he went bright red, letting his sword arm drop down to his side and he averted his gaze. “My apologies, I-- I didn’t… Please, forgive me. The window…”

Katari glanced to the window and vaguely recalled thinking about the open curtain when she woke up and she groaned slightly in frustration. Cullen must have seen through the window and jumped to the wrong conclusion.

“It’s fine, Cullen. Why don’t you head to the war room and tell the others I’ll be along shortly,” she said softly, trying to hold in her frustrated amusement.

Cullen nodded dumbly and glanced up at Bull – briefly, when he seemed to realise just how naked Bull was. “My apologies, Iron Bull. I shall-- go. Yes, I’ll just…”

With that, Cullen turned tail and all but ran out of the house, pulling the front door shut behind him. Katari laughed softly as she went to the window and drew the curtain. A bit late but better late than never as Varric said.

“Well that could have gone better,” she said, shaking her head slightly.

“He cares about you,” Bull chuckled. “Got to save little saarebas from big bad Hissrad.”

The grin that appeared on Katari’s face was victorious. “Hissrad, then? You’ve given up with trying to keep it from me?”

“Maybe it’s a lie,” Bull said, his grin matching her own.

Katari approached him and wrapped her hand around his horn, pulling him down to nip at his lip. “Definitely Hissrad then.” She was silent for a moment before she became sincere. “Thank you for telling me. Worried I suddenly wouldn’t trust you after Cullen’s accusation that you’re a traitor?”

“Nah. Just figured you deserved to know. If the whole of Haven called me a traitor but you still trusted me, I’d be good. I don’t work for them. I work for you.”

“So you do.”

“So… about earlier then,” Bull started. “You seemed to enjoy being treated a little roughly. Having your hair pulled.”

“And you seemed to enjoy me being a dragon,” she countered.

“Maybe a little. What can I say, you’re super hot. That was good though? I meant to talk to you about that kind of thing first but… I’m a bad, bad man.”

“Yeah that was good. I liked the hair-pulling. And the grabbing. I’d be interested in seeing where it went if Cullen hadn’t burst in.”

Bull laughed slightly and slid a hand under her knee to bring her leg up to his thigh and give him room to touch as he reached behind her. He squeezed her ass on the way to stroking his thumb through the wetness between her folds. Katari shuddered, resting her head on his shoulder for a moment.

“We shouldn’t,” she said reluctantly.

“Not even a quickie?” Bull asked disappointedly, though he didn’t stop the slow brushing of her sensitive skin.

Katari was silent for a few moments as she gathered the willpower to say no. By Koslun, she wanted nothing more than to give in and let him have her again. When he pushed his thick thumb inside her, she whined slightly and tightened her grip on his horn, her leg curling around his hip even more.

“Quickly,” she said, laughing at the speed with which Bull turned her round and pushed her onto the bed, manoeuvring her onto all fours. He grabbed her hair too, tugging to make her arch her spine backwards.

Her laughter didn’t last long.

* * *

Half an hour later, Katari was walking into the chantry with one of Adan’s potions in her belly. When she’d told him what she needed, he’d just nodded and got to it. She liked him. He was very no-nonsense.

This time, there was a hint of soreness between her legs simply because of how rough Bull had been and she cherished it. It didn’t interfere with walking and it was just another thing to add to the list of reminders that Bull had left her with. Most of them were obvious, especially wearing her antaam-saar as she was. The handprint bruises on her waist were dark even against her grey skin, the red lines of the scratches either side of her spine and across her ribs were bright. The bite mark on the back of her neck was only slightly less noticeable because of her hair, though it was easy to see underneath her high ponytail.

She didn’t bother trying to hide any of it, and the Chantry Sisters’ disapproving looks were only amusing. Mother Giselle didn’t approach her for once. Finally, she had discovered the key to making the woman leave her alone.

Entering the war room at the far end of the building, Katari immediately noted that Cullen didn’t greet her or look up from the report he was staring at without reading. Leliana and Josephine looked incredibly amused.

“Adaar,” Leliana nodded with a smirk.

“Good morning. I assume Leliana has explained what happened at Redcliffe,” Katari said as if three of the four of them hadn’t discussed it the previous night.

“Yes, it is very distressing,” Josephine agreed. Katari never would have guessed the woman was lying. That was what the Orlesian Game was, she supposed.

“From Fiona’s explanation of the situation, it sounds rather like the mages have given themselves into slavery to protect themselves,” Katari said.

After a few minutes of talking about the situation in the Hinterlands, Cullen slowly began to join in. Katari relaxed a little. Part of her had worried the Commander would remain quiet for the whole meeting.

“We cannot leave the mages to be taken to Tevinter as ‘indentured servants’,” Cullen said after a while. “We should march to Redcliffe.”

“You aren’t thinking, Cullen. The crown will hardly turn a blind eye to the Inquisition marching its army into the middle of Ferelden, even if the town is under the control of a Tevinter Magister,” Josephine said.

“I—No,” Cullen admitted. “We don’t even have the sheer numbers of soldiers required to take a castle by force.”

“When Alexius makes his move, he will ask for Adaar,” Leliana said. “Most likely, he will ask for Adaar alone. One person, even a very powerful mage, would be no match for a convoy of Imperial mages and soldiers, especially a Magister. I know of a hidden way into the castle that could let a small group of my best agents in.”

“ _Spies_? What use are spies going to be? No, we need to send soldiers with her, even a handful,” Cullen insisted.

“They will be turned away at the door, or killed,” Josephine sighed. “If the Herald can lead a small party into the castle then Magister Alexius will be wary but still sure that he can overpower them if necessary. Leliana’s agents will be able to dispatch some of the soldiers and guards. I think this is going to be our best chance.”

“It’s no use making plans now,” Katari pointed out. “If we don’t know what move Alexius is going to make, we can’t properly prepare for it. We need to leave the real planning until Alexius starts the pieces moving.”

“We need to find a way to make this work that puts you in the least danger possible. If you die, I-- We lose the only person who can close the rifts,” Cullen said, worry bright in his eyes. Katari noticed his slip but said nothing, grateful when Leliana spoke.

“Sending anyone but the Herald will be killed immediately by Alexius’ forces. He does not want anybody else. He wants Adaar and we will use that against him,” the spymaster said forcefully, pinning Cullen with a firm look.

“Even if we go through with this, sending _spies_ in to protect Adaar, they’ll be discovered before they’ve even been in there five minutes,” Cullen said, the worry turning into frustration.

“Enough,” Katari snapped. “I will take a party into the castle when Alexius requests it. Four of us pose enough of a threat that Alexius will want as many of his people there as possible. The distraction will allow Leliana’s agents to sweep through and kill as many as possible.”

“And if they are killed?” Cullen glared at her.

“They all know what they signed up for, Cullen. If ten people die so we can save two hundred, then that is what must be done.”

“How very _Qunari_ of you,” the man practically sneered.

The silence in the room was heavy, smothering. Katari stared at Cullen in disbelief. He had always been understanding of her beliefs, of her desire to keep following the Qun even if she wasn’t allowed to be a part of it anymore. To hear him say that to her hurt more than she would admit even to herself. After a few long moments, Cullen seemed to realise what he’d said and his eyes widened.

“No, I didn’t-- I'm sorry, I didn’t mean that. Katari, I--”

“If I am so _Qunari_ then I am saarebas. Maraasost imekari. Anaan esaam Qun, basvaarad,” Katari said, louder than she had intended and with a growl in her voice. When she was finished, she turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her with the wooden frame rattling under the force.

Storming through the chantry, the hall went silent again and she could feel eyes on her but the fury bubbling inside her kept her moving without stopping to confront anyone. She was avoided the whole way through the village, even as she walked out the main gate. She could see Bull with the Chargers, laughing with an arm draped over Krem’s shoulders and headed for them, remembering Bull’s offer of training with them.

One of the Chargers must have seen her approaching as Bull looked over his shoulder at her. He stopped laughing and his expression turned almost serious. He moved his arm off Krem’s shoulder and faced her, waiting for her to approach.

“Your offer of training. Is that still on the table?” Katari said without greeting.

“Always. That was a short meeting,” Bull said, watching for her reaction carefully.

“Don’t,” she warned with a growl that made him simply nod.

“We spar using practice weapons,” Bull said, nodding to someone who brought over a training staff. “We lifted a couple from your stores. Hope you don’t mind, boss.”

“I really don’t care,” she said, spinning the staff between her fingers. It wasn’t weighted incredibly well and it tamped down on her magic but that was good. It would cause less damage than casting with her hands.

“You and Dalish want to have a competition to see who can make the biggest fireball?” Bull asked, pointing over his shoulder at a Dalish woman with a staff in her hand.

“Chief, I can’t make fireballs because I’m not a mage. If I was, I would be an apostate, you know that,” the woman said.

Bull rolled his eye and looking back to Katari. “Up to you, ataashi.”

“I want to spar with you,” she said without hesitation, eyes trained on him as her anger continued to bubble in her stomach.

His brow shot up in surprise. “You sure about that? You’ve seen the size of my axe, yeah?”

“You know why they called me ‘Katari’?” she challenged, knowing that Bull knew the meaning of it.

“Alright, sure. But don’t kill me. That’d be a real bummer,” Bull said with a grin.

She didn’t laugh, just nodding instead. She waited until Bull had split everyone up and he approached her with a training axe resting on his shoulder.

“You sure you don’t want to talk this through instead?” he asked.

It might have been a joke but it annoyed her so she lashed out with an ice bolt that struck Bull in the ribs. The surprise of it made him stumble slightly but he recovered quickly and settled into a fighting stance, knees bent and axe gripped tightly.

They stood facing each other for a few moments before Bull charged without warning. Katari rolled out of the way a little too late, his foot catching her shin. Hissing in pain, Katari straightened and cast a mind blast. With how close Bull was, he was knocked back with a grunt, which gave her enough time to put some distance between them. She cast a fire glyph on the ground in front of her, meaning that if Bull wanted to charge at her again, he would have to take a longer route or face the explosion of the glyph.

Bull grinned at her widely and they faced each other for a few more moments before Katari launched a fireball at Bull. He managed to get away from the brunt of it but it still caught his harnessed shoulder. They continued the slow cat and mouse game which only frustrated Katari even further. Her eyes darted over Bull, analysing his weaknesses, and she could feel him doing the same.

Suddenly, she cast an ice mine on the ground underneath his feet and ran at him, counting on taking him by surprise to give the mine time to prime for explosion. Bull hesitated but it wasn’t long enough. Bull was big and strong, but Katari was fast. By the time he had lifted his axe high enough to swing, she was in too close for it to hit her.

Her hand darted out and grabbed the curve of his horn and pulled hard, pulling him off-balance enough to give herself the momentum to get behind him. She swung with her staff, not even trying to cast, and it hit him in the side and splintered. Bull roared, in surprise and pain, and Katari focused on getting out of his way.

Her staff was useless now and she was too strong to cast without it. She would hurt him. She dropped the wooden thing and fell into a crouch, fingers curled into claws ready to attack. She waited though, until he had recovered and had seen her. Bull growled at her and dropped his axe behind him, baring his teeth. Katari grinned wickedly and waited for him to attack.

When he rushed her, she darted to the side and tried to kick out at his bad knee but he managed to turn fast enough to grab the ropes of her antaam-saar and pull her backwards. The sudden change in direction winded her and made her shout in surprise but she was thinking ahead enough to set fire to her own ropes, the fire burning quick and hot to snap the ropes, allowing her to get away from him. Topless but uncaring, Katari used the chance to actually get at his bad leg, kicking just below his knee.

Bull bellowed in pain and fell to his good knee, giving Katari the chance to grab the dagger he kept at his hip. When Bull was down, she grabbed his horns again and tugged hard, sending him sprawling onto his back. The surprise kept him down long enough for Katari to crouch over him with one boot resting on his horn and the dagger pointing at his face while her other hand sparked with lightning.

They were both panting heavily and after a few moments, Bull laughed loudly, relaxing back into the ground.

“I yield,” he said, grinning.

“Do you?” Katari asked with a raised eyebrow, knowing it was entirely possible Bull would attack again as soon as she got up.

“Clever girl. Yeah, I yield. Need to get some ice on that knee,” he chuckled. “You fight fucking dirty. Where’d you learn to fight like that?”

“I was taught when I was young,” Katari said. She frowned suddenly. It had never really occurred to her before that before her magic had shown, she was being trained for something. She was _bred_ for something. It wasn’t something she’d ever actually thought about before.

“No shit? Those are Tallis moves,” Bull said. “Looks like our little saarebas was going to be Tallis before her magic showed up. Come on, ataashi, let me up.”

Katari stood and moved off Bull, holding her hand out to him. He took it and got up, gasping slightly. He lifted his arm to look at his side where she’d hit him with her staff. There was a quickly developing bruise right across his side and Bull laughed.

“Well shit, saarebas, if you didn’t want those bruises, you could have just said instead of returning the favour.”

Katari snorted in amusement and smacked his shoulder before she handed back his dagger. “Shut up.”

Bull grinned as he picked up the axe he’d been using and turned to find most of the Chargers, and even a lot of the soldiers, staring at them.

“Well, damn,” Krem said. “Note to self, don’t piss off the Herald.”

“The only thing that I _herald_ , Krem, is the destruction of my enemies,” Katari said with an innocent smile.

“She’s hot for an archer,” Dalish stage-whispered to another elf beside her. The Chargers laughed and returned to what they’d been doing before.

“Come on, ataashi, let’s get those wonderful tits of yours covered up before they freeze off,” Bull said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

“What a shame that would be,” Katari said with a roll of her eyes.

“It would be tragic. Absolutely fucking tragic,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maraasost imekari - you are a child bleating without meaning (basically "you're a fucking idiot that's talking out his anus")  
> Anaan esaam Qun - victory is in the Qun  
> Basvaarad - Templar or just a bas acting as an arvaarad  
> Tallis - 'to solve'. Rank of the Ben-Hassrath, often assassins


	11. Dorian Pavus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dorian shows up and Bull is acting weird. Cullen and Katari reconcile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooooooo I'm an awful person for leaving this for so long. Mass Effect came out and I got distracted. Have this. Not 100% happy with it but eh.

Once Katari was covered up with a blanket that one of the Chargers had on hand, Bull slowly made his way to the small tent she'd noticed they'd set up as a base of operations, a number of chairs outside of it with a table between them. Katari saw the slight limp that Bull was trying to hide. She stayed quiet until he'd dropped into one of those chairs with a groan and she checked the knots that she'd tied the blanket into where it was wrapped around her.

"Probably shouldn't have gone for your knee," she said, kneeling on the snowy ground in front of him.

Bull raised an eyebrow at her when she got on her knees but just said, "Nah, you're good. That was a good fight. Nice to have an opponent I don't have to worry about crushing."

Katari laughed softly, lifting her hands to press slightly at his knee. She ignored the soft hiss he made in pain and continued to slowly feel around the joint to make sure Bull was okay.

"It feels alright. Think heat will be better than cold for it. Do you just use cold for everything?" she said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"It's easier to make something cold than hot, 'specially down here in the back end of nowhere," Bull shrugged.

"You have mages in your company," Katari said pointedly as she heated her hands and pressed them to his knee over the fabric of his trousers. She could feel the straps of his brace against his skin and worked around them, massaging the warm magic into his bones.

Bull groaned quietly, sinking back into the chair and letting his head fall back on his neck for a few moments. "Fuck... that's good. Can't rightly go up to Dalish and say, 'Hey, can you use your awesome bow skills and make my knee better please'?"

Katari laughed and rolled her knees. "You need to take better care of yourself. Can't have my favourite warrior retiring before we save the world, can I?"

"Sure thing, tama," he said with a crooked grin that made her snort in amusement.

"If I have to play tama, I will."

Bull grinned and reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. He said nothing, just twirling her hair around his fingers as she massaged his knee. Katari shifted slightly which gave him pause but she just lay her head against his thigh with a quiet sigh. His hand moved to her horn and she smiled at the feeling of his thumb rubbing against the base of her horn.

"So, you ready to talk about what's bothering you?" Bull asked, seemingly out of nowhere and Katari tensed slightly. That was what he had been waiting for; her to relax against him.

Katari sighed slightly and shifted a little more against him, settling between his legs. "You know when you think someone understands you and then they act like... I don't know, like a fucking qalaba."

"Cullen, then?" Bull said, understanding alongside a hint of amusement in his tone.

She huffed a quiet laugh. "Yeah. Cullen."

"What'd he say?"

With another sigh, Katari started to explain. What they'd been talking about, Cullen's reaction, his words. Bull was quiet for a while after she was finished, although she could practically hear the gears turning in his head. She returned her focus to his knee, massaging it gently with her thumb.

"Sounds like he's jealous," Bull said eventually.

"What? Of me? If he wants to join the Qun, it isn't hard when you're not a mage," Katari said, sitting up to stare up Bull disbelievingly.

"No, not of you," he said, lifting his hand to trail along the scar under her cheekbone. "Of me. Think about how fast he was to leap to your defence this morning when he thought you were in danger. He's never been funny with you before. You know him better than I do, just calling it how I see it."

"I don't know, it just seems..." Her nose wrinkled up in confusion. "I don't know. If that is the case, why me?"

Bull chuckled and made her look up at him with a hand under her jaw. "I think you underestimate how gorgeous you are."

Katari shook her head slightly. Why would Cullen be jealous of Bull, if that even was the case? He'd never shown any evidence that he liked her that way and she wasn't exclusively with Bull. She wasn't even 'with' him. Why now? Maybe he was just having issues with his withdrawal?

She sighed. "Bas are weird," she mumbled, setting her head against his thigh again as Bull laughed above her.

"You're not wrong there. So, Red have any idea how long it'll be before this Alexius issues his challenge?"

"'Red'? Oh, Leliana. Nothing for sure. Soon though. You think Pavus will show soon?" she asked, pressing healing magic into his knee before she let her hand drop.

"Yeah, he probably wasn't far behind us when we left Redcliffe. He's on foot though, he'll take longer. You're right though; soon."

* * *

Bull was right; soon. In fact, it was only a few more days before Dorian Pavus showed up in Haven. Katari had been in a meeting with Josephine and Leliana because she refused to be in the same room as Cullen. There was a brief knock at the war room door before she called for the person to enter. It was Bull and the look on his face told her everything she needed to know. 

With a slightly nod, she gestured to the map. “Join us, Bull? I’m sure your insight will be… useful,” Katari said. 

“Sure thing,” Bull said, shutting the door and moving away from it before he quietly said, “Pavus is strolling through the gates as we speak. He won’t be long.”

“If I’d known, I’d have put my vitaar on,” Katari said with a quirk of a grin. 

Bull chuckled and crossed his arms as he came to stand beside her. “You’re intimidating enough, ataashi, don’t need any kind of armour to make that clear. Where are we on this plan?” 

His eyes dragged over her pointedly in a way that made her want to laugh. She’d forgone her armour and her usual Haven wear had been too constricting so instead she was just wearing her trousers and a breastband that Cassandra had given her when she’d first woken up in Haven, shackled and chained. This was the first time she’d worn it and if it wasn’t for the sensibilities of the people, she wouldn’t have worn it at all. 

“Alexius issued his challenge this morning. The timing is… interesting, to say the least,” Josephine said, handing Alexius’ letter to Bull without hesitation. 

“You in the habit of making Josie read your mail, boss?”

“The handwriting is usually too fancy, I can’t read it without getting a headache,” Katari said with a shrug. Josephine dealt with her mail unless it was sent from the Valo-Kas, when it was usually written in Qunlat anyway. 

The door burst open then and Katari turned her head to see Pavus all but lounging in the doorway with one of the guards lingering behind him. 

“Ah, nice to see that I’m right on time,” he said with a smirk that curled his moustache. 

“War rooms are usually private,” Katari said, turning more fully to face him. She noted that his eyes darted up and down her with a raised eyebrow, intrigued more than interested and that suited her just fine. 

“Private rooms usually have locks,” Dorian said with that infuriating smirk still in place. Instead, he moved to stand beside her. He nodded at the letter in Bull’s hands. “From Alexius? Whatever you’re planning, you won’t be able to get past his wards and barriers without experienced help.”

“And that’s you, I take it?” Katari asked, unimpressed by his arrogance. 

“Oh, naturally. What happened to that handsome commander of yours that I’ve heard so much about?”

“He’s not here,” Katari said with more of a growl in her voice than she’d intended. 

“A lovers’ spat? I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Before Katari had even realised she was turning to face Dorian with a threatening growl rumbling deep in her throat, Bull’s hand had wrapped around her upper arm and held her still. 

“He wants a reaction, ignore him,” Bull said in quiet Qunlat that seemed to set Pavus on edge. When Katari had settled down, Bull said in trade, “Watch yourself, ‘vint. You might be well-trained but your blood means nothing here.”

Dorian seemed to nod slightly and looked at least slightly chastened. “Yes. Well. My apologies. As I was saying, if you intend to go after Alexius, my knowledge of his magic and defences will help keep you safe.”

“And in return?” Katari asked now that she had calmed a little. 

“I get to stop my old mentor from destroying himself and his son. He was a good man once, as hard as that is to believe.” Dorian’s words were soft, regretful. Katari was almost convinced that he meant them. 

“Josephine, I’m sure you can handle replying to Alexius and allocating Pavus with quarters,” Katari said, waiting for the woman’s affirmative before she carried on. “Leliana, please ready your people for deployment the day after tomorrow. I want them ready before we even enter the castle. Bull?”

As usual, Bull was quiet for a few seconds as he considered. “Might want your vitaar for this one, boss. But I don’t know. I don’t have any contacts in the village. Closest I’ve got is Denerim and that ain’t much use. You’ll have to rely on Red for this one, but I’ll have your back.”

Katari nodded. “Alright. Tavern?”

“Thought you’d never ask. You coming, Pavus?” Bull asked. Katari raised an eyebrow at him but he gave her a look that just told her to trust him. 

Dorian seemed just as surprised and looked between them cautiously. “Don’t suppose there’s anything except for the piss Fereldens call ale?”

Bull laughed and pushed Katari towards the door. “Not much but we can rustle something up.”

* * *

An hour later, Dorian was much more relaxed after a significant portion of a bottle of wine. Katari looked at Bull in disbelief, both at the frustration that he’d invited the ‘vint with them and in amazement at how stupid said ‘vint was to get even slightly tipsy in a potentially dangerous situation with two people who had admitted they didn’t trust him. Bull just shrugged slightly at her. 

“So where you from, Pavus? That a Qarinus accent I hear?” Bull asked the mage as he lounged back in his chair and sipped at his mug. 

“Just Dorian, please. You’re very astute though. You know Tevinter well?” Dorian asked. 

“Got to in my line of work. I was in Minrathous for a year or so.”

Katari sat up a little straighter. Bull had been in Tevinter? That was news to her. She knew he had contacts there but it was quite easy to get viddathari into houses as servants and even slaves. 

“As a mercenary? Do you get a lot of jobs from Tevinter?”

Watching Dorian carefully, Katari noted just how open he was. He flaunted everything, his emotions, his skill, but despite that there was still a part of him that was distant and closed off, which was fine by her. She didn’t want or need to get to know the Altus. 

“Not as a merc. Ben-Hassrath, though.”

Suddenly, the mage sat up straighter and his eyes hardened slightly. “Oh. I see. I had thought--” His eyes flicked down to Katari’s mouth. “You’re not Qunari, Herald.”

“No,” Katari said simply, content to leave it at that, although Bull clearly thought differently. 

“Adaar was a saarebas under the Qun. Got rescued by some Tal-Vashoth mercs. You don’t follow the Qun anymore though, do you, boss?” Bull asked, pinning her with a look. Why was he acting like this? Revealing her personal life to some... magister. She didn’t want to play along. 

She stood, leaving her mug on the table. Her irritation at Bull eased slightly when Cullen entered. That at least gave her an excuse for leaving. 

“I’m going,” was all she said before she glared at Bull one final time and turned around and walked away, accidentally catching Cullen’s eye as she did so. 

Katari could hear the slight shuffle of Cullen turning to follow her and sighed under her breath but kept walking far enough away from the tavern that they wouldn’t cause too much of a scene. 

“Katari,” Cullen called as he hurried to catch up with her. 

“What, Cullen?”

“I need to apologise. I’m sorry, I didn’t-- I didn’t mean what I said. I won’t give you excuses, I’m just sorry.”

Stopping and turning to look at him with a sigh, Katari lifted her hands to rub over her face. The anger that had still been simmering had faded to make way for the hurt and confusion that Bull had left her with. 

“Cullen…” Katari started before she just shook her head and smiled tightly at him. “Can we spar? I need to do something.”

Cullen’s face lit up and he smiled broadly. “Of course. You might want some armour first, though.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So hopefully I won't take so long next time! If you want to shout about Mass Effect, Dragon Age and/or OCs, hit me up on [tumblr](http://macbeka.tumblr.com/)


End file.
